Falling Feathers
by FinalKingdomXVII
Summary: Mistakes are made everyday, especially when human eating monsters hide within the cracks of the world. But for Nishinoya, that one mistake cost him everything: his family, his home... Asahi. And a month after self exile, he's not so sure he can take it back. Winged AU. Now Beta Read by Laet-Lyre!
1. A Moment of Reunion Over Morning Coffee

The chilling night winds felt great against his wings as he leisurely glided. At the pace he was going, he'd be at his destination in no time. It wasn't his favorite place to hunt in, but it was definitely not the worst. He spotted his landing space near a park and began to land.

He perched on the strongest seeming branch of a tree, then peeked out of the canopy of leaves to scope out his surroundings. No one around, but eventually someone would come. Preferably a healthy male who just had a dinner of yakiniku, no beer. The meat would be leaner, tastier, and without the bitter sting of alcohol. Not to mention he wouldn't be embarrassed when he had to rip the clothes off.

Subconsciously his cheeks turned a luminescent pink at the thought of seeing a female naked. Human he may not be, he was still a boy. No need to get strange thoughts.

"L-Look, I am really sorry I missed the deadline. I promise I'll get it in by tomorrow."

His body tensed up upon hearing the voice of a human. He wouldn't have to wait long, it seemed. Peeking his head out once again, he eyed his soon-to-be-meal. A man in a suit, late twenties possibly. The guy probably didn't get much exercise, so there might be an excess of fat.

Oh well. He wasn't feeling particularly picky today. In fact, he was feeling rather hungry after not eating for a few days. An extra fatty morsel could be just what he needed.

The man sat down on a bench, cuing him to drop from the tree and inch his way toward his food.

"Please, just believe me okay?" He continued on with his phone call, completely unaware of the creeping danger waiting for him to hang up. It'd be best not leave any evidence pointing towards them, as unlikely as it would be that any sane police officer would believe crow monsters eating people in the city. "Okay, fine. I understand. Tomorrow then." At last he put the phone down and gave a heavy sigh. The danger behind him advanced. "Ah, damn it. I knew I shouldn't gone drinking yesterday. Now the boss is breathing down my neck."

"You went _drinking_? Aww, I hope it's all out by now. Alcohol makes the meat and blood have this awful aftertaste. Sure, it's technically not totally inedible, but still."

"W-What the hell?!" The man jumped out of his seat, startled, and looked at the small boy behind him. "Where did you come from?"

"And you better not be a smoker too. The lungs are my favorite cut, and grey lungs are definitely not as tasty as pink lungs." A wide smile spread across his lips while he lunged forward, claws bared. The man shrieked as the claws pierced through his neck. His knees buckled beneath him, and soon he collapsed, mortally wounded. "Seriously, I'm really looking forward to some _pink_ lungs, so you better not smoke."

He looked around once more, then proceeded to grab the man by the leg and drag it to a more secretive place to eat. A crimson trail was left behind in the corpse's wake, but being messy wasn't too much of a problem. As long as he left before sunset, it would be seen as a simple murder or the like.

The crow walked back to the underneath of a bridge arching over a river, perfect to dispose of the bones later. Once he secured his privacy, he tore off the clothes and threw the articles into the flowing river. Anticipation swelled up inside him as he debated on what to eat first.

He first twisted off the right forearm, suckling at the ensuing stump. Blood dripped down his cheeks in dark red lines as he drained it of all liquid. When the limb was mostly empty, he crunched down on the muscle, tearing away great amounts of flesh with each bite. The left-over blood, then the fat flooded into his mouth as he greedily ripped off more. The hands were always a little tricky to eat, needing a bit of dexterity to eat the mostly lean meat. Luckily, there seemed to be no taste of alcohol, meaning the guy last drank more than twenty four hours ago. He tore the last strip of flesh clinging to the bone with his claws and lowered it into his mouth, then disposed of the bone.

Next came the time to eat his favorite. The trouble with liking the organs was that they were buried underneath muscle and bone, thus requiring more effort to get into than just hacking it off. And unlike muscle their quality wildly varied with the person's health. Disease and, of course, things like drinking and smoking can cause the taste to deteriorate or make it unsafe.

He dug his claws into the chest as far as he could go and peeled back the flesh like an orange. A few stripes were eaten right away, the rest being placed aside; he didn't want to get full before getting to his favorite. The white ribs poked out, thoroughly embedded in pink muscle. He didn't have much love for the ribs— too small and boney— but he prefered not to waste so he pulled out all the pointy protrusions on a single side out one by one, putting it in his mouth and sliding out the meat with his teeth. Once finished, the crow poked inside the carcass to find the lung amongst the red gooeyness, and was pleased when he managed to wrap his hand around a good sized organ. With haste, it was ripped apart from the corpse. The boy started feasting upon it fervently the very next second. Evidently, the organ was a nice coral pink. This was turning out to be a good meal.

Deciding to save the other lung for later, he set his sights on the abdomen and sliced it open with one talon. He spread apart the muscle then reached in for the first thing he could pull out, which happened to be the spiraling cord that was the small intestine. Another of his favorites; a bit of a tough chew but, damn, was it tasty. He tore a sizable length out and plopped it into his mouth, half of the entrail sticking out of his lips, then continued to scavenge through the bowels for a different cut of meat.

"Nishinoya, there you are."

Instinctively his wings and every feather on his body flared up in surprise. He looked to where the voice had come from, and found two familiar figures.

"Don't worry, it's just us."

"Oh, Suga, Daichi! It's been what, a month since I last saw you?" Nishinoya said, entrail still sticking out of his mouth.

"Hey, that's gross. Don't speak like that," Suga scolded, prompting him to quickly slurp it up.

"You want to join me? There's plenty left. And how are Shouyou and the others?"

The two approached him, eyeing the mangled corpse. "They're doing fine, just a little picky is all. Hinata and Kageyama won't even touch the organs, and Tsukishima doesn't like anything with small bones."

"Heh, those two don't know what they're missing. But I understand Tsukishima. Having to spit out those little bones is totally annoying. So, what did you want?" he asked, also offering them a strip of the breast.

Daichi raised his hand in decline, and said "Nishinoya, we want you to return to the murder."

He stared down both of them, unsurprised by their request, before kneeling down for another piece of intestine. "…Has he returned?"

The black haired crow seemed to hesitate before answering "…No."

"Then I'm not coming back." Nishinoya twisted off the other forearm and drank in the blood as fast as he could. Afterwards, he threw the drained limb to Daichi. "Take the rest to the others. You need it more than me."

"Please, I know that what happened on that hunt is still affecting you, but the nestlings need their Guardian Deity! And more than that, they miss you," Suga pleaded. "The murder is incomplete without you and-"

"I'm sorry, I just can't," he cut in. "Not yet. I know I'm being selfish, but I just… I don't know, I just can't go back yet. Send my regards to Shouyou and the others. See you." Nishinoya turned and ran, building up enough speed to take off in an instant. Soon the landscape of the previous prefecture was far below him and he was cruising on the gentle currents yet again.

It had only been a month since he departed from the murder, yet he always found himself thinking about them. They were young, unable to fly, and thus unable to hunt, as hunting required them to hit-and-fly-far-away. So, while they were developing, the older ones had to look after them.

Thinking about it now, Nishinoya began to feel the guilt about leaving them by themselves resurface once more. Suga, Daichi, Tanaka, and Ennoshita must be wearing themselves out feeding and protecting them. Young ones ate more, were prime prey for owls and wolves. And when he was still there, he did sentry duty—watching the perimeter and alerting everyone of any incoming threats— most often. No one dared attack while he was on watch.

But, now that he _wasn't_ there, what would happen? Were they getting enough food? Did they get attacked? Were they forced to move the nest? The questions rushed through his mind, feeling heavy enough to weigh down his wings. Maybe he should come back, just for a bit. Bring back a delicious carcass with him; the one he left with Suga and Daichi wouldn't be enough for all of them.

Yeah, just to check in and give them food. That's it, nothing more. Just a check in.

The crow started to descend, looking for a safe place to land. He was still in the city, a ways from where he was before, so he should be able to find prime meat. This time he would watch his prey, assess their health; there was no way he was gonna feed some drunkard riddled with disease to the small ones. Nishinoya spotted a rooftop he could watch a moderately busy intersection on and landed quickly.

A few people passed by, all old guys in suits. Not the best for eating. Then a lady that was having trouble going straight walked though, likely having just finished a night of heavy drinking. Pass. Guys with cigarettes were looked over, as well as a few runaway kids. Someone with a huge bag of pills was ignored , then an abandoned child. No one worth feeding to the little ones.

Nishinoya sat back, a heavy expression on his face. There were many variables when hunting, and the usual procedure to hunting was to stalk the prey for at least a few hours to ensure quality as best they could. What he did before—killing the first guy he saw—was a huge gamble. He got lucky, bringing in such a high quality carcass right of the bat. Then again, maybe this place was just a bad place to scout— where the lowlifes of the night gathered. What the small ones needed was a healthy male, no alcohol, smoking, or tattoos; inked skin was usually unsafe and disgusting to eat, so no Yakuza. He looked down at the intersection again, finding only some lanky teen that reminded him of Tsukishima. The sight of the kid reminded him of how skinny he was. All the more reason not to get impatient and get some good meat.

He took off again and flew into the direction of the city's outskirts. Hopefully he'd find a suitable meal there. The air was crisp with the smell of freshly formed dew, signifying that he had at best a few hours to find someone good enough before the murder's rules restricted him from hunting. He might not actually _be_ with the murder right now, but he still felt an obligation to follow them. They were like principles, or something. Which meant no killing during the day.

So, with morning looming close, he decided to walk around and act human to find someone. Nishinoya tucked his wings in after dropping into an empty back alley. He untied the jacket around his waist and slipped it on: a solid black one with a four character idiom, one of his prized possessions. It covered the large slits on his skirt and all of his feathers strewn about his skin, making being a human even easier. Next Nishinoya took the pair of gloves from his pants pocket and carefully pulled them over his talons, lest he tear the fingertips out and ruin yet another glove. Now the only problem were his long tail feathers jutting out behind him. Usually to hide those he'd borrow a long coat from… . The only option he had left was to uncomfortably stuff the feathers into his pants. It was a strange thing to do, and even then they still poked out of his pant leg. He hoped no one would notice.

After the deed was done and he was reduced to awkwardly waddling, he made his way out to the street. It looked rustic and worn out, lit up with the few stores open before the crack of dawn. Not a person around. Maybe he should find a club, but then there would be a rather high chance they'd be pumped full of beer and drugs. He thought about it as he wandered the streets, stopping when a poster plastered on the side of a building caught his attention. It read 'Special Light Show held at the Shopping Center Today, 6:00' in bright yellow letters.

 _An event like that would attract the right kind of people. I mean, no drunkard would go to this, right? And besides that, it sounds kinda fun._

Six o'clock was cutting it close, but he was confident he'd be able to pull it off. Nishinoya strolled down to the next street as casually as he could, wondering when he should go. As he turned the corner, he glanced into a store window and got a good look at his reflection. Nishinoya didn't notice it before, but, he was _dirty_. Dust and grime were caked on his face, and his hair was drooping down, weighted with oil. The blood that dripped onto his cheeks and claws had now dried into a rust colored crust. He really should have washed up in that river.

He couldn't walk into go an event like this. He'd totally stand out! First he had to wash up, though it was a precarious thing to be exposed in a human settlement. Nishinoya had to be quick. Could he just find a facet and clean it off? No, the dirt was too compacted; he needed lots of soap to wash it off. He didn't have the time to blindly search for another river either, seeing how he just flew off in whatever direction before. Then, was there a sentō nearby? It'd be risky, but who'd be up at this hour?

Now the boy ran in earnest after making his decision, hopeful to find a sentō that opened real early. There has to be one, and hey, if he got lucky maybe there'd be prime meat taking a bath. He stepped across the corner and sprinted straight ahead, not wanting to miss the light show. Nishinoya continued for what felt like half an hour or so, far longer than he would've liked, but delighted when he saw the old-fashioned building sticking out like a sore thumb among the modern buildings. His luck got even better when he saw it had opened a mere ten minutes ago.

Nishinoya entered through the sliding doors, greeted by the lady by the desk. This sentō appeared to be an old one, probably with a long family history. It was plainly decorated with only a vase of bright chrysanthemums to liven it up.

"I'd like to use the baths. How much is it?" he asked to the lady.

"One hundred eighty yen, please," she replied, a sleepy draw in her voice.

He reached into his back pocket and took out the appropriate coins, glad he didn't have to wait for change, then placed it on the tray.

"Okay, go ahead. The boy's side is on the right."

"Thank you, um, do you have any shampoo or soap, oh, and a towel?"

The lady went under the desk and produced a pink bottle, blue bottle, and two towels. "The soap's a hundred yen each, but the towel's free."

He gave her two hundred yen coins, then grabbed the bottles and towels. "Thanks," Nishinoya hastily said before speed walking into the changing room. As he did, he happened to see the pricing and became unamused at what he saw.

' _Adults- 480_ ¥ _Children 11 and below- 180¥'_

 _That lady mistook me for a kid!_

Sure, Nishinoya was rather… diminutive compared to the rest of the murder, and humans he would suppose, but that was no reason to think he's some kid! He's not that small! He was the sentry, the small ones' Guardian Deity! He fought off giant owls, cats, and even a white eagle once! He was tougher than any human!

But, being the _adult_ he was, he ignored it and just started to undress. As it was early in the morning, there seemed to be no one else there with him. Good, he thought. He could bathe in peace. Nishinoya glanced at the clock, reading four forty. He thought to himself that he shouldn't stay long to wash off while putting away his clothes, bag, wallet, gloves, one of the towels, and… oh. He still had this. For a moment he paused, staring at the forgotten memento: a single ebon feather. Nishinoya was sure he had tossed it to the wind a few days prior. How did the plume find its way back into his pocket?

Whatever the case, he didn't want to see it any longer, already feeling the shadow of memory loom over him, but still he did not possess the mental strength to throw it out again. He placed it into the bin, out of sight under his clothes. Afterwards Nishinoya entered the baths cautiously, turning left and right in search of other people. Still alone.

He sat down at one of the sinks and started to douse himself with the water bucket. Once he was thoroughly soaked, he squirted some shampoo into his hair, carefully lathering. He poured a bucket on his head to flush out all the soap suds, then washed his dirt-tinted skin. The brown water streamed away onto the floor, and suddenly he looked completely normal without all the grime. When was the last time he bathed? He couldn't really remember, but apparently too long ago. Nishinoya continued by rubbing soap into his towel and scrubbed down his tail feathers. It was difficult to do by himself, and he definitely couldn't reach a few places, but somehow he managed. He then took care of his hands, rinsing out the blood and flesh out from under his talons. The last thing that needed a good washing were his wings. All fourteen feet of them.

Usually he'd be at a river, by himself and not near any human settlements when he washed his wings. No worry about being discovered. Did he even have enough room to completely unfurl? Probably not. He spread out half the length of his wings, curling them around himself, and poured a bucket full of water on it, then carefully lathered the individual feathers. Nishinoya rearranged a few out of place plumes at the same time, noticing they were quite worn out. Maybe the time was nearing for him to molt. Once that was done he extended his wings just enough so he could wash the second half and repeated the process.

Nishinoya moved his wings in small flaps, shaking off the water. Now he was completely rid of all dirt and grime, ready to infiltrate a light show for the small ones. He glanced over to the clock, reading five ten.

 _It's risky to be completely exposed in a human establishment. I should get out of here, but…_

His eyes darted to the tub of warm, temping water next to him. The one thing that kept rivers from always being his go-to place to wash was the perpetually chilly water. He could never enjoy a bath there. It wasn't often he went to a sentō; the last trip was a few months back with the entire murder. And now that he was there, he might as well enjoy it, right? But, he had to get to the light show. He was already there for quite a while. But, just five minutes?

Before he had any time to think on it further, he found himself stepping over the tiled wall of the tub and submerging in the opaque water. The warm liquid gripped his tired muscles, causing them to loosen up. Nishinoya even unfurled his wings half way. Well, actually, unfurled them so much, they nearly filled up the entire perimeter of the tub. In this state, he was completely vulnerable, but he was too relaxed to do anything about it. It just felt so good after an entire day of flying, pretending to be human, keeping his wings wrapped tightly around his torso, and staying out of plain sight. Of course, those tribulations were on par with what life had become after he left, but still. He was tired, and he wanted to unwind.

Nishinoya closed his eyes, sinking even further in the water, and could swear that he fell asleep for a time. However, he was himself awakened by the most terrible sound he had heard all day: the door to the baths sliding open.

He'd been far too careless.

The man who entered sat down by a faucet near the door. It didn't seem like he noticed the crow yet, but when he finished washing and came over to the bath, Nishinoya would be finished. _Damn it_ , he thought, _I should've left when I had the chance! Should I kill him? No, someone would definitely see me!_ He didn't dare turn around to look, fearing the ripples would give him away. All that could be done was to sit quietly and await exposure. While he waited, Nishinoya started to slowly fold in his wings. If a fight became inevitable, their twelve foot length would be but a hinderance in such a confined space. He needed to be able to bolt out of there as quickly as he could once the guy saw him.

The sound of the man pouring buckets of water reverberated throughout the bath. It made him even more nervous when the bucket made an empty clank against the floor, followed by tense silence. He couldn't tell if he had gotten up, or if he was just washing himself. Nishinoya still didn't want to turn around. A few minutes passed like that, without any discernable change. Maybe the guy had left. Should he turn and check?

"Man, what am I going to do?"

Nope. The guy was still there.

"Work is terrible, and I barely get any time off. And now they've got me getting up at this hour in the morning."

He continued to aimlessly vent his woes to the air for quite some time. Nishinoya wasn't sure how much time had past, but he knew he had to get out soon. He could sneak past the guy, except with all the mirrors and the noise he'd make upon leaving the tub, it'd be unlikely that he'd go unnoticed. The room turned silent again, though this time he decided to crane his neck just a little to see the man. Bit by bit, his field of vision rotated just enough to see where the sounds seemed to come from. The man was gone.

However, his soap and shampoo were still by the facet; the guy was going to come back. Nishinoya swiftly stood and tucked in the elbow of his wings, then wrapped the rest around himself. He exited the tub, cautious of slipping, and walked towards the sliding door. Opening it just slightly, he peeked in, seeing the man looking for something in his bin. Nishinoya shifted the door down enough to sneak in and quietly closed it behind him. He hoped the man hadn't seen his clothes, tentatively tip-toeing across the changing room. The man continued to rummage through his pile of clothes for something, not yet noticing he wasn't alone. Nishinoya continued to tip-toe until he at last made it to his own bin, never taking his gaze off the man for a second.

"Ah, there it is. I can't take a bath without this." He seemed to have located whatever it was he was looking for, and entered the bath again.

Nishinoya somehow eluded discovery.

He gave a small sigh of relief, then reached for the towel in his bin. He wiped himself down, first his limbs then his torso, before shaking off the water on his wings with a few flaps. Nishinoya threw on his clothes sloppily and quickly, almost piercing a hole through his gloves even. Once he was dressed, he reached out for his other possessions and froze upon seeing the feather. He could just leave it here. It'd be gotten rid off for good. There was no reason to stir up those emotions. The thing would just make things more painful than they already were.

Nishinoya placed it into his pocket. Afterwards, he ran out of the bathroom without even looking at the desk lady.

The crow looked up at the sky, and found it still dark. A clock inside the sentō read five twenty-five, still enough time to get to the light show. Now that he was safe, he walked towards the nearest store window and took out a bottle of gel from from his bag. He squeezed out a good sized dollop, rubbed it in his hands, then carefully ran his fingers through the flat hair. Soon his hair was as spiky as before, and he again looked four inches taller. Nishinoya replaced the gel in his bag.

With thirty five minutes before the event, Nishinoya took to the air in an instant. The wind weaved through his hair as he flew, feeling especially good after a bath. He went in the direction of what he hoped to be the shopping center, but found he didn't have to look hard. Amidst the sea of lights was a single patch of darkness, and Nishinoya knew he had found the right place. He began to descend.

The event was being held in a square of sorts, decorated with strings of unlit lights. A surprising amount of people had gathered, most of whom looked college or high-school age, holding cups of coffee and having light conversations with others. Lean, tall, decent chance of no bad stuff in their systems. Good. There was a good selection.

His plan of action was to find someone who had gone alone, chat them up, and lure them away from the square with the Eyes of Corvus— an innate ability every crow had. It wasn't hypnotism or anything, it just made them… open to suggestion. Yeah, that's it. He'd look them in the eye, and they'd become unable to refuse anything he said.

The crow scanned the crowd for that single person suitable to be a carcass. A somewhat muscular guy was standing by the tree in the center, but it was likely he was waiting on someone with how he was nervously waiting for a call to pick up. He thought to himself that luring a guy away in this situation would be far harder than it would a girl. As embarrassing as it was to see a girl naked, he needed to get the nestlings some food. So, for them, he would… pick up a date.

Nishinoya could feel his face get hotter as he inspected the possible candidates. He settled on a lone girl in a green sweater sitting on a bench, gazing forward at the unlit lights. She didn't appear to be too skinny or too plump, just the right balance, and had the face of that honors student everyone hated for being so uptight. All right. Here goes.

"Good morning. You excited for the event?" he asked, approaching her.

"Hm? Uh, yeah. I've been looking forward to it since last year." The girl smiled, and patted the space on the bench next to her. Nishinoya sat down, gulping nervously from interacting this closely with a female.

"This event's annual then. What is this light show all about? Any meaning behind it or anything?"

"No, no, this isn't some festival that's been celebrated since the Edo period or anything like that. It's just something a group of college students organized to have fun. This is the third year they've done it, and it's always a blast. Um, my name's Rikona, by the way." She held out her hand. The boy looked at it for a moment, as if scanning it for potential danger, then accepted the gesture.

"Nishinoya. Nice to meet you," he said, his eyes repeatedly darting to the side, then back to Rikona.

"So, are you a college student too?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I am totally in college," Nishinoya replied in an obviously stilted voice. He looked down to the tips of her light brown hair, avoiding direct contact. "You know, most people mistake me for a kid cause I'm so sh-vertically challenged. You don't think that?"

"Now that you mention it, you are pretty short." Rikona gave an understanding grin. Nishinoya restrained himself from instantly rebuking her, and ran a reminder through his head that he needed to do this for the nestlings. "But no, I could tell you're not a kid. I guess it's just, I don't know, your face? Or maybe your eyes."

"Huh? What about my face?"

"There's this seriousness or matureness in your expression. Like you understand responsibility. I'd say that's pretty rare, considering all the guys that come to college just to party. I know way more people like that than I should." She shuffled in her seat. "Anyway, I think that's a good thing. You can't survive in the real world without a sense of responsibility."

"I see. Thanks, I guess. Your face looks pretty responsible too." … _Did I really just say that?_

Rikona seemed surprised at his response, and for a moment he thought he might've blown his chance, but then she started giggling. "You're pretty funny."

"Ah, eh, well, um… ha haha…." Nishinoya knew with certainty that he was as red as a tomato. He needed to get of this situation right now! Nishinoya looked all around the park: the unlit strings of light, the groups of people that grew by the second, the trees that seemed to be the centerpiece of the show, the coffee- the coffee stand! "Hey, you want some coffee? It's pretty early; you must be tired."

"Oh, sure. I was about to get some anyway."

"I'll get it for you. What do you want?" Nishinoya stood, eager to recollect his bearings.

"A tall hazelnut with two creams and two sugars. Here, I'll give you the money-"

"No, no, I'll pay for it. Consider it a gift," he insisted.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do that. That coffee stand is student run, and all the proceeds go directly to the school, so I don't mind pitching in."

"Don't worry about that, I got it." Nishinoya ran off before she could argue with it any further. The line was moderately long, but he could wait a bit. The more time he had to calm down, the better. He kinda felt bad that Rikona was being so nice to him when he was planning to kill her and feed her corpse to the nestlings, but he knew he cared more about them than some random college student.

It was a ten minute wait before he reached the front of the line. "Good morning, welcome to the Dawndrip. What would you like?" the cashier said.

"A tall hazelnut with two creams and two sugars, and um…" Nishinoya had a sinking realization that he never thought about what he wanted. This was the first time he had ordered coffee, or even _drank_ coffee. He heard it was bitter, so people put lots of sugar in, but how much do people usually put in? And, what did 'tall' mean? What was-

"Sir?"

"Oh, sorry. Spaced out there. I'll have a…." His sight wandered to the jugs of something behind the cashier. Were those names of flavors on them? Mocha, white chocolate, cinnamon, peppermint, vanilla… vanilla? Like the ice cream? That sounded okay. "Tall vanilla… with two sugars and two creams."

"Okay then, two tall coffees will be six hundred forty yen, please." He gave the cashier a five hundred yen coin and a fifty yen coin, receiving ten in change. "It'll be a moment. Please step over there."

Nishinoya joined the other early risers, whom were keen on getting their caffeine fix. He placed the coin into his pocket, then wondered how much he actually had. He took out all the folded bills and coins out and counted it up. Five thousand, six hundred, thirty eight yen. That was more than he remembered he had. His usual income of money came from looting the bodies of people he ate, so he usually knew how much he had. Whatever. More money to get human food like popsicles and stuff.

"Tall hazelnut and tall vanilla?" a guy from the counter called.

"That's me." Nishinoya grabbed the two coffees, the warmth of the drinks permeating his palms, and went off to sit with Rikona. She was staring at the trees again, chin resting on her wrist. "Rikona, I'm back! Here you go."

"Thanks. I-it wasn't too much, was it?" She grasped the cup with apprehension, as if wondering if it was okay for her to take it.

"No, it was only three hundred twenty I think. Don't sweat it, just drink up while it's hot." he said, sitting down with her.

Rikona continued to look uncertain, but conceded after seeing Nishinoya's bright grin. "Okay, fine. Thank you for the coffee." She took a long sip of her drink, then exclaimed "Oh man, that feels so good! I've been up since five o'clock with only an apple for breakfast. I didn't realize I was _this_ tired."

"Most people would have trouble getting up before noon. I think it's amazing that you voluntarily got up so early."

"Heh, stop flattering. Even if it's true."

Nishinoya laughed a little, then looked at his own drink. It was still warm, steam visibly rising out of the cup. He raised it to his nose and sniffed it a little, picking up on sweet notes of vanilla. It smelled alright. Nishinoya took a small sip, and was pleasantly surprised at the creamy, totally not bitter flavor. Why didn't he try it before? He's had all kinds of human food like meat buns, tonkotsu ramen, and GariGari-kun (his personal favorite), but never coffee. He proceeded to have another, larger sip, only to have his tongue scalded by the hot liquid. Nishinoya resisted the urge to spit it out, and forced the coffee down.

After reeling in from the sudden pain, he asked "So, how's college?" despite not knowing what college or even school was like. "It treating you well?"

"I-I guess so. At first it was really hard. In the first week I was slapped with an English essay and pages upon pages of reading. Your high school teachers don't tell you about how hard the transition is. All they say is that 'you're preparing yourself for the real world' and how 'it's your first big step towards your dreams'." Rikona placed her cup on her knee, head towards the ground. "But, anyway, I adjusted eventually. It got better when some seniors showed me a way to relax. It's a little expensive, though. I took a job just to support it."

"Ah. Good to hear." Most of what she said made no sense to him, but he assumed it was alright. "College seems like it'd be a lot of work."

"Seemslike?"

 _Crap, I slipped!_ "Uh, y-yeah, it seemed like a lot of work when I started, too. Lots of um, homework and stuff. Super hard, I was busy all the time," he said, scrambling to cover his mistake.

"You too, huh? Yeah, college certainly is a step up from high school. The work is super tough, but at some point it becomes doable for everyone. The only question is when." Rikona's face turned playful yet serious at the same time as she sipped at her coffee again. "But that shouldn't be a problem for someone as responsible as you."

"Me, responsible…. No, I wouldn't really say that. I've been shirking my duties lately, and it must be affecting the people I care for." His mind flashed to the feather in his pocket, but he quickly refocused on the conversation. Nishinoya tried not to reminisce too much–he preferred to look forward than back– but sometimes the what-ifs took over his thoughts. Should he have stayed with the murder, despite what happened? It was hard to tell.

"Care to share? I'm willing to listen." Her voice was sincere, and Nishinoya couldn't detect any underlying meaning in her words. He shouldn't discuss anything concerning the murder with humans, but she just seemed so honest. And after an entire month of keeping it to himself, perhaps sharing his story with someone else would ease his mind, if only just a little.

" … Sure, I suppose," he said reluctantly. "Just promise you won't tell anyone else, okay? I mean it."

"Alright. I promise. Now come on, tell me what happened." Rikona pulled forward, eagerness apparent.

"This happened about a month ago. See, I have lots of um… younger siblings I have to look after. Of course, I don't do it by myself. I've got a few older siblings as well. We take care of each other, protect each other," the crow retold, filtering out any incriminating words and replacing them with ones he thought would be acceptable to a human.

"You don't have parents?" she asked.

"Like they care about me…," Nishinoya muttered to himself, before realizing he now had to backtrack. " I mean, n-no, I have parents. They're just… away most of the time. Anyway, last month I had this sort of fight with my older brother. We just started getting really really angry, and we started to yell and push each other. Then, in the fight, my little brother tried to stop us and got… hurt. Cause of me." Nishinoya turned away from Rikona, feeling the regret threatening to contort his face.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it. You don't seem like the type of guy who'd do that," Rikona said sympathetically. "Is your brother okay?"

"I don't know. I ran away from them after the fight. My older brother too. Even though I have a duty to protect them, I just left. I mean, how the hell could I do that?!" His voice suddenly raised, surprising Rikona. "S-Sorry for shouting. It's just, looking back on it now, it was such a _stupid_ decision. Because I wasn't able to own up to what I had done, I abandoned Shouyou and Kageyama and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi! Sure, there's still Ryuu and the others, but the only one who can do sentry as well as I can is Daichi, and he probably has to lead the hunting group just to get enough food! How could I be so _stupid?!"_ Nishinoya whipped his head up to face Rikona, and found her wearing an expression of both confusion and concern.

"I-I'm sorry, sentry? Hunting? I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Oh, uh, sorry. Disregard that please. Just a slip of the tongue, I was thinking of something in um, a video game we were playing before. Swears flew and tempers were tested, it riled us up," he explained.

"Nishinoya, I didn't-"

"Please don't apologize. You didn't need to hear all that heavy stuff. You're just a random stranger I happened to come across today, so why am I burdening you with this? It's my cross to bear, not yours." He again turned away, scooting a little to the side to put some space between them. "I'm sorry if that ruined the light show for you."

"No, I'm the one who insisted on hearing your story, remember? If anything, it's my fault for making you bring up such painful memories. So I should be apologizing too. I guess we're both at fault here, huh?" She flashed an understanding smile. "And besides, you're not the only one with a cross to bear. Even someone like me couldn't…." Rikona trailed off.

"Well, I guess-I mean, I suppose, well, um…." Nishinoya stuttered at a loss of more words than usual. Sure, he had trouble talking one-on-one with girls, but he couldn't recall a time when it was this bad.

"And, Nishinoya?"

"Yeah?"

"If you don't mind me saying this…."

"It's okay. Go ahead."

"I think it would be best if you came back to them." The boy's face turned stern as she spoke. "You might think it's not my place to tell you what to do; I really _am_ just a stranger you just happened to meet today. But, even still, I think you should see them again. Say what you want, but I really do believe you are a responsible person."

"But I abandoned-"

"Yes, you did, but you recognize that it was a mistake and you deeply regret it. I think that that's enough reason for you to come back. Besides, how else are you going to get closure if you just stay away? I mean, they must miss having their dependable brother around."

 _Please, I know that what happened on that hunt is still affecting you, but the nestlings need their Guardian Deity! And more than that, they miss you._

"I'm sure they're not mad anymore, not even your little brother," she said.

"He's not the type to get mad or hold grudges, that's for sure," Nishinoya admitted. "A real good guy, my um, little brother. He always said that he looked up to me."

" _Hey, come down here! I have to show you something!" he shouted up to the highest branch on their tree. Nishinoya looked to the excitable boy jumping about by the base of the sentry's post, seeming as though he would burst from anticipation._

 _He took one more scan of the surrounding forest before responding "I can't, I'm on sentry duty, remember? It'll have to wait until later."_

" _I promise this will only take a few minutes. Please, I've been wanting to show you this for like forever!" The boy put on the most adorable, pleading face he could muster and stared hard at the sentry. He knew out of everyone in the murder, Nishinoya was the most likely to break to it. "Please?"_

" _Ah, fine. Let's see it then." It was a clear dusk that day, and most of their predators were probably going to sleep. He hoped he could spare at least a few moments for the nestling. Nishinoya jumped down to the boy stood, flapping to steady his landing. "What is it?"_

 _The boy completely unfurled his wings and pointed to the feather tips. "Look, my primary feathers are done growing! I can fly with everyone else now!"_

" _Oh, really? Let me take a closer look." Nishinoya carefully inspected each of the large black feathers, looking for the smallest indication they were still undeveloped. The first few seemed like they were indeed hollow and flight able, but his suspicions were confirmed as he got towards the middle. "Nice try, I can see the pin feathers. You aren't sky ready just yet."_

" _Aw, you noticed? But I want to go flying as soon as possible and see the human world…"_

" _You know you'll just fall if you try to fly with underdeveloped wings." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving a wide smile. "And the human world isn't going anywhere. You'll get to go eventually."_

" _But Tsukishima got to go!" He flared his feathers as a sign of annoyance._

" _That was cause he needed to get glasses; a one time exception, that's all." Despite Nishinoya's assurances, his face was still downcast. If he left the nestling like that, there was a solid chance he would be sulking the rest of the day. Nishinoya had to cheer him up somehow, and looking up to the sky, found an idea. "Why don't you come up to the sentry's post for a little bit?"_

" _Really?! I can?" the nestling exclaimed, his cheerful presence returning immediately._

" _Sure, Daichi's not around!…Right?" He nodded a yes to Nishinoya. "Okay then, get on. We'll be up there in an instant." Nishinoya turned his back to the boy and stooped down. Then with great vigor, the boy jumped onto Nishinoya in one bound, his size surprising Nishinoya as he was nearly toppled over. "Geez, you're getting really big!" the older crow remarked, struggling to get up for a moment before he was able to straighten out his legs. "I used to do this all the time, and I never had trouble back then."_

" _Hey, it's been at least nine years since then! I've done some serious growing! I bet I'm taller than you, even."_

" _You? Taller than me?" The boy shook his head enthusiastically, drawing only a stifled chuckle from Nishinoya. "And what of it?" he said as he bent his knees back and suddenly launched into the air. The boy on his back loudly whooped from being airborne, feeling a surge of pure exhilaration flow through him. Nishinoya mischievously smirked upon passing by the sentry's post, instead zooming even higher into the dawnlit sky. "Hold on tight!" was his only warning to the boy before he did a backflip mid-air, then dived head first. Nishinoya proceeded to spin in a corkscrew manner as he descended until he was inches away from crashing into a branch. He pulled up at the last second and performed a final loop the loop before finally decelerating. Both him and the boy were uncontrollably laughing while Nishinoya steadily dropped back to the sentry's post. "Height don't matter when you're up in the sky. So being a little taller ain't much of a big deal."_

" _Whatever y-you say!" the boy said, still laughing. "That was so awesome, I can't wait to fly on my own."_

" _You better be excited. Flight's the best part about being a crow." Nishinoya sat down, with the boy following. They both looked forward at the setting sun in the distance, the rose hued sky, the peach colored clouds. "We might not have strength, or size, but flying is just so much more than that. It's all we really need. It's free-"_

" _Freedom," he finished, surprising Nishinoya. "You said something like that, back then."_

" _Oh, did I now?"_

" _Yes, you did!" The boy playfully nudged his arm, and they both chuckled a little._

" _I suppose I might've said something like that." Nishinoya ruffled the boy's already messy hair in response to the nudge, with it being quickly pushed aside. The two exchanged a stern expression for a second, before both shifted into wide grins. They again laughed, persisting for a time. Afterwards the crows sat in a comfortable quietness, with the other's company all they required._

 _Nishinoya then turned his head down, and said "Ten years."_

" _Hm?"_

" _It's been ten years since then, not nine." The boy realized what he meant after a moment of confusion._

"… _Oh, right. It has been ten years, huh? Lots of things have changed in that time. I got taller than you for one." Nishinoya promptly bonked him on the head. "But, I'm glad that, at the very least, one thing hasn't changed."_

" _What?"_

" _You're still with me."_

 _Nishinoya found himself speechless after hearing that, and turned to face the boy. He didn't return the look, continuing to admire the scenery. The older crow, still in a daze, said "Of course I'm still here. There's no way I'd just abandon you like they did."_

" _I know that you wouldn't," the boy replied. "You'd protect me as long as you were able, and even when you weren't. You're not like them."_

" _And I never will be. Those bastards were just the worst," Nishinoya hissed bitterly. "Forget about them. If they didn't want us, then why should we even give them the time of day, you hear me?" He gave a small nod. "Good." Nishinoya wrapped his left wing around the boy to assuage him, whom did not object in any way against his gesture. Quite some time ago, they had done this rather often, and it still remained a solacing act. The warmth of Nishinoya's black feathers brought him a nostalgic sort of comfort, and he was glad for it. The boy leaned his head into the crook of Nishinoya's wing, finding it still cradled him perfectly. "…You enjoyed that flight just now, right?" Nishinoya asked abruptly._

" _Of course I did! What part of 'That was so awesome, I can't wait to fly on my own' did you not understand?" he answered, his infectious brightness coming back._

" _You're serious about flying on your own, right?"_

" _Uh-huh…."_

" _How about I teach you myself, then?"_

" _Seriously?!" The boy straightened up and beamed directly at Nishinoya. "You're seriously serious about that?"_

" _Yes, I am seriously serious about it," he said, holding back a laugh. "It might be easier for you to learn from me, since our wingspans are similar. I can teach you how to glide, how to flap, and all those crazy moves I just did."_

" _Yes, please, I'd love it if you taught me! I want to do those spins, plus that really steep dive! I want soar through the air on my own, just like you and everyone else."_

" _And to do that, you'll have to be patient and wait for your feathers to grow." The boy groaned as he leaned his head back onto Nishinoya's wing. "Besides that, though, there's…." Nishinoya glanced at the boy, his face still gleaming with elation. "No, never mind."_

" _Nishinoya!" someone yelled from down below, drawing their attention. "It's your turn to hunt! I'll take over the sentry's post now."_

" _Got it, Chikara!" he replied, then said to the boy "Looks like it's time to go."_

" _Wait, is that…? Nishinoya, did you bring him up to the post again? You know that that's dangerous! Hasn't Daichi scolded you enough times for this?"_

" _Nope!" The crow could hear his friend sigh in disbelief._

" _Just get the heck down here already!"_

" _Give me a second!" Nishinoya turned to the boy. "You ready to go? I have to go and get a nice, juicy carcass with our ace."_

" _Wait, wait, I want to ask you something first."_

" _What?"_

" _What does flying on your own feel like?"_

" _Don't you already know the answer?" The boy nodded no. "Well, put simply, it feels-"_

"Free," Nishinoya said out loud.

"Huh? What's free, Nishinoya? Nishinoya?" Rikona shock his shoulder when he didn't respond, continuing to space out. He reacted near immediately and slapped her hand away in surprise. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you or anything."

"No, that was my fault for just getting into a daze like that. I'm sorry for hitting you."

"Hey, I'm getting a sense of deja vu here," she said, giggling again. "We already played the blame game, didn't we? So let's just leave it at that."

"…Okay. Sure." Nishinoya raised his coffee cup to his lips and took in a long dip of the slightly cooled liquid. Rikona appeared to do the same, letting them both take a breather from the conversation.

"So what was that 'free' thing about?" Rikona asked soon after.

"I was just remembering this thing I told to my little brother. Nothing more then that." He hoped she wouldn't ask anything further than that, doubting he could prevent any more slip ups.

"And what did you remember? Was it about that fight?"

Damn. "No, it happened before. We were having fun together and talking about a bunch of stuff. Like what happened a long time and… how I'd never abandon him." He lowered his head onto his intertwined fingers, feeling he needed to collect himself before he accidently spilled something important. Rikona didn't disturb him or ask what was wrong, only patiently waiting for him to continue. "I'm such a jerk," Nishinoya said, shifting his chin to his fingers. "How could I do that to him after I told him all of that stuff, after I made him that promise?"

"You're not a jerk, Nishinoya. You were just pushed into a difficult situation." Rikona tentatively placed her hand on Nishinoya's shoulder, to which he made no clear response to. "Do you really think it's okay if things stay like they are?" He remained silent and peered downwards. "Do you think the issue will resolve itself if you just keep on running away?"

Her words were piercing. Her questions were ones he had asked himself everyday during the past months, and ones he didn't want to answer, or perhaps, didn't have an answer to. Nishinoya sat up, still not replying, and drank his coffee dry in one big gulp. There was an overwhelming urge to crush the cup in his hands—it wouldn't exactly be hard—but he simply tossed it into the nearest garbage can.

"The light show's starting," Rikona informed, lightly tapping him. She stood to gaze at the lights that had started to shift colors, turning on and off in accordance to the beat of a song blaring out from an unseen speaker. Rikona, as well as everyone in attendance, seemed absolutely enchanted by the showcase. The bright reds gave way to a dark green, then disappearing all together into whiteness. Nishinoya found himself staring in awe as well, only seeing something similar when a swarm of fireflies came by the nest. "It's as great as last year."

Rikona focused intently on the bright lights. She wasn't paying attention to anything else. The people around them, too. Nishinoya knew that the conditions were ideal.

It was time to hunt.

He knew that in his head. When he thought about it, it made perfect sense. No one was going to notice them leave, Rikona was distracted. There was no better time than now, but, for some reason, he couldn't force himself to move. Was it because he had gotten to know her, and she had listened to his story? No, he's gotten close to the prey before for far longer than the probable thirty minutes he's spent with Rikona, and they've never made him freeze. Then again, it might not've been Rikona that was making him stop.

"Nishinoya," she said without turning from the lights, apparently not as enraptured as he had previously thought.

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're going back to them, aren't you? Because that's the kind of person you are." Rikona beamed a bright smile at him. "They'll be happy to have you back. That's what this stranger thinks anyway."

"Rikona…." Nishinoya turned his head down again, not knowing what to say to that, and found his line of sight attracted to something on the floor. He picked it up, realizing it was the black feather, somehow ending up in an unexpected place again. It was the embodiment of his mistake. Just the mere _sight_ of it made the deep seated self loathing within him ignite into a cold flame that pervaded his entire being. His anger, at himself, at that hunt, at-

"What's that? It's really pretty."

That was it. He couldn't do this anymore. "I have to go now. Enjoy the rest of the show, and forget about me," he said, staring straight at her with piercing vermillion eyes, ones she wasn't sure he had before.

Dispontantly, Rikona nodded. "…Bye then. Thanks again for the coffee."

"Don't mention it." He backed away, waving to Rikona, before sprinting away. Nishinoya took off into the air once he found himself a vacant area, flying towards nowhere in particular. What a strange thing he did. That was the first time he intentionally let the prey escape. It would've been a cinch to just kill her. He could've done it at any point in his conversation. And yet, he still let a perfectly suitable carcass slip right through his fingers.

There was no point in deliberating whether he did the right thing or not. What mattered was that he didn't have a carcass, and hunting hours were now over. The crow looked down to the ground and spotted a patch of grass surmounting a beaten down nature trail. Nishinoya, feeling he needed a little time to think things over, decided to descend onto the earth and lay down. The soft dirt felt nice upon his back as he relaxed as best he could. A still chilly gust swept across the greenness he laid in, his hair moving with it.

He was burning. With hatred, regret, and more than anything, with umbrage at himself. Why did he run? Why couldn't he have done anything but blow up back then? Why… why couldn't he come back? Was it because of…

Asahi?


	2. Arrival Departure Consequence

" _Asahi, the prey's moving towards you," Nishinoya reported into his phone. "Can you see him?"_

" _He's standing by the lamp post, right?"_

" _Yeah, that's the one. Hey, Asahi, these phones are pretty convenient, huh?" He pulled the device back to take a better look at it, admiring the orange and black case._

" _It is pretty easy to communicate now. When did you even steal these in the first place?"_

" _I took these off of the two carcasses Suga and Daichi are taking back to the nest. Those guys had some awesome stuff on them. I hope the nestlings like them." Nishinoya resumed his steady pace as their prey started moving, keeping a nonchalant look about him._

" _I think they'll be happier with the first satisfying meal they've had in a week."_

" _Heh, you got that right. They're getting good meat today. Not some random deer we picked up on the flight back from a skirmish, but fresh human." He paused for a moment, thinking on how many times that scenario had played out in the recent weeks. "All we have to do is secure our own meal and fly back to the nest." Their prey stopped to look into the window of a clothing store. Nishinoya halted his approach immediately, and closely analyzed the guy's body. Mid thirties most likely, with an average build, though his muscles seemed somewhat pronounced. "You ready, Asahi? I think we've stalked him long enough. He seems suitable to eat. Get ready to take him down in the back streets."_

" _Got it." The call closed with a few beeps, and Nishinoya put the phone into his pocket. He closed in on the man, and tapped his shoulder. Slightly surprised, the man turned and impatiently spoke._

" _What do you want, kid? Lost your parents?"_

" _I'm not a-!" he started to retaliate, only to collect himself just in time. "Um, actually, yes. My… parents went off somewhere and I can't find them. Can you help me look?"_

" _Sorry, go to the police station. I don't have time for this." The man turned to continue on his way, but was forced to stop when a small gloved hand clutched onto his wrist._

" _Please,_ sir _. I'm from out of town, and I don't know where the police station is. A-And it's already really late. Please, I don't want to stay out here by myself," Nishinoya pleaded in the most pathetic voice he could make_ _. "I'm begging you."_

" _I already said no. The police station is down that street, alright?"_

 _Nishinoya, pretending to be crushed from the man's refusal, tipped his head down in apparent defeat. " … Please,_ sir _, I think it'd be best if you reconsidered."_

" _What? Come on kid, I gave my answer, so stop hassling-"_

" _Sir, you really_ should _reconsider." He peered his eyes up, glaring with an unnerving aura. The man was startled upon sensing the pair of deep orange eyes setting their sights on him, and unconsciously stepped back. "I'm serious here. I can't find my way around here, so I need your help to find my parents. Won't you reconsider,_ sir _?"_

" _L-Look, come on kid-"_

" _Just come with me over to that backstreet. I think that's where they are, but I'm too scared to check it out by myself. It'll only take a minute." Nishinoya pointed over to where he knew Asahi was laying in wait. "Come on. Just a moment of your time, that's all it'll take to get me off your back. I promise." His lips spread into a disturbing grin, radiating an ominous sort of cheerfulness, as did his eyes. Nishinoya stepped towards the backstreet and beckoned the man forth. "It's only around this corner. Come with me."_

" _Ah, um… okay, just a few minutes…"_

Perfect, _he thought. The man couldn't refuse anything Nishinoya said now. For a moment there, he was afraid that it would take more time than they had for the Eyes of Corvus to take effect, especially with how much the guy was arguing. Usually he didn't even have to use them to get the prey away. No one could turn away a 'helpless child' after all. "Oh, thank you so much! Follow me, this will be over quickly."_

" _Y-Yeah, right…" He allowed himself to be led by the lost boy to an isolated corner of the street, devoid of even a street light. No one to be found there. "Looks like your folks aren't here, kid."_

" _Aw, it seems like it. I was so sure they were here too," Nishinoya prattled on, moving behind the man. "What am I going to do now?" He silently waved to Asahi, hiding behind one of the building walls, signaling that the prey was ready to be taken._

" _You know what, why don't I just take you to the police station myself, if you're that scared? I wouldn't be much of an adult if I just abandoned a grade-schooler out on the streets like this."_

" _That is a very kind offer,_ sir _. But, I think…" He slipped off one of his gloves, revealing the black, elongated claws beneath it. "I'll be just fine now." The disturbingly cheerful grin reformed itself on Nishinoya's lips, wider and more blithe than before. "Asahi!"_

 _In but a second, a shadowy figure appeared from around the corner, sprinting out towards the man. The man, turning to see someone charging his way, began to yelp out in fear and panic. He tried to turn away, to run, only for Nishinoya to seize his arm and clamp the ungloved hand around his mouth. Nishinoya twisted the arm to the man's back, then cocked his head up. The man gained a somewhat tangible grasp on what was occurring, and cried out as loud as he could, struggling all the while against what he thought was merely a lost child. Though, try as he might, he was unable to break Nishinoya's iron grip. Before he knew it, the shadowy figure had descended upon him and grasped his neck in a choke hold._

 _The man uttered a weak groan as he was being deprived of air, unable to do anything against Asahi's supreme strength. "Hey, don't sweat it. You really were a big help to me. Now we'll all get to eat tonight," Nishinoya said before Asahi crushed the man's throat with a wet crunch, blood bursting out of every orifice._

 _The smaller crow let out a small gasp as his friend dealt the fatal blow. If it was Nishinoya who had to finish it, he'd have had to slash his throat out and hope he cut deep enough. Much less efficient, but his hands were too small to grasp a human's neck. Asahi just made it look so_ simple, _so easy to rip out the life out of another being. He possessed neither the strength nor the instinct to do what Asahi could. In a way, it frustrated him to no end. Yet Asahi still managed to look so cool._

 _Asahi let go of the dying man, allowing their to-be meal to bleed out on the cold cement. "All right, we did it! Dinner secured!"_

" _Um, yeah. Good job luring him here. I don't think I could've pulled off an act like that."_

" _Don't talk like that Asahi! You have to have more confidence" —Nishinoya playfully jabbed him in the side, eliciting a painful grunt— "than that, you know!"_

" _Yeah, I know, Nishinoya. Come on, let's go back to the nest now. Suga and Daichi are probably back by now." Asahi hoisted the corpse into his arms, getting a good grip on it._

" _Will one carcass be enough, though? We don't know when the next time we'll be able to hunt, with all these flocks attacking us nonstop for what? The past month or so? Maybe we should get another one just in case."_

" _No, I think it'd be better if we get as soon as possible. The next attack might be around the corner, and we have to be at full strength to combat it."_

" _That's what I hate about this whole thing! Why are so many monsters encroaching on our territory all of a sudden? It's not like we've done anything special to get their attention, and it makes life a huge pain! Just today I spotted no less than two casts of falcons and a dole of doves. We spend so much time on territorial skirmishes that we never get to hunt." Nishinoya took a deep breath. "It's affecting the nestlings too. How are they suppose to fledge when we're under threat of attack twenty four seven?"_

" _Well, Daichi's going to that meeting with the other leaders, remember? They'll be able to sort this out. Until then, we'll have to do our best to protect our family. All right?" His voice softened as he addressed his fellow crow._

" _I guess so. Let's get back then-"_

" _Ahh!" a voice screamed behind them, the foreign sound freezing the two in place while pure dread pervaded them. "M-Murderers! Oh my gosh, p-police! Police!"_

 _Another human ran around the corner of the street. They were spotted._

Nishinoya pounded the ground as hard as he possibly could. He still felt like a total piece of owl crap, so he pounded again, and again. Still nothing. In a huff of anger he sat up and tried again, yet the gnawing emotion sitting heavy in his stomach refused to leave.

It was such a simple mistake he made that night. He was too arrogant in their location, so sure no one would pass by, completely unaware of what they'd stumble onto. What he should've done was fly away as soon as possible, not stay around and whine about how many intruders they had to deal with. Everything that happened that night was his fault, only his fault, and he _knew it_ as well as he knew his wings.

He fell back onto the grass and stared off into the pale sky. This would be a good time to sleep, Nishinoya thought. In his condition, he wouldn't be able to face them anyway. He might even end up hurting them again. Like… what happened to Shouyou.

"W-What in the? Wings?!"

…What. Seriously? Nishinoya looked over his left wing and gawking in a strange mix of fear and admiration was some teen wearing a heavy coat. He didn't do much else besides just stare; Nishinoya mused on whether the guy would scream or run in the next five minutes.

"Who—What are you?" The crow shifted his position so he could face the boy, still sitting, and in doing so revealed one of his hands. Just the sight of ten darkened talons proved to be more than a little disconcerting to him. He cautiously stepped back. "W-What the hell?! You're a monster!"

" _M-Murderers! Oh my gosh, p-police! Police!"_

For just a second, the human was overlaid with the memory of the one who caught them. Nishinoya remembered him and that night far too well. He couldn't even forget the smallest detail. Not his face, not how Asahi was so petrified in place, n-not how _it was his damn fault in the first place!_

Any rational thought Nishinoya had in his head instantly disappeared as he lunged forward with all the power he had, a shrill caw—it's tune distorted by the cold fire within him suddenly igniting in vehemence—ringing to the object of his anger. The human had but a split second to turn and run, though still Nishinoya caught him easily, and pinned him to the ground. He roared like some feral beast, which in that moment he sort of was, right in the guy's face. It was no doubt a horrifying sight to behold, going by how he was too scared for more than a whimper.

"If I didn't let you get away, none of this would've happened!" Nishinoya shouted. "If you hadn't seen us, we wouldn't have had to run! If I hadn't been so stupid…! _Asahi wouldn't have felt responsible!_ "

The next thing Nishinoya knew, he was heaving short, shallow breathes upon the human's chest. Fresh blood dripped liberally from his talons. Shakily, he stood, and took in what he had done in his frenzy of blind anger. Three long lacerations striated along the human's neck, upwards to his right cheek. The guy would be dead soon, if he wasn't already. Nishinoya couldn't tell from the way his eyes were rolled up.

Somehow, he felt like he should be laughing. At the irony of a carcass just walking up to him in the perfect conditions? Maybe. Or perhaps he should be laughing at the idiotic way he shouted at the human, like he was the one that caused all of this. Like doing what he should've done then now would wipe away his regret. Yeah, that's what he ought to be laughing at.

His mouth remained closed.

The crow brought out the black feather against the distant morning sun. Despite everything he associated with it, he still thought it was beautiful. Everytime he looked at it, he was reminded of when Shouyou had just hatched, when his wings were so small and covered in fluffy down. Was that… so strange?

Probably. But he laughed a bit then.

"…It was my mistake. All of it was my fault." He spun the quill on his thumb, gentle rays flickering in and out. "I've run as far as I can, haven't I? Shouyou…. Asahi." His vision blurred. "I _want_ to go back. I want to go back to that warm nest, and eat from the same carcass with everyone," Nishinoya admitted. "I want to be there when Shouyou enters the sky for the first time, and teach him how to do cool tricks. I… need to go back."

Between his fingers, the black memento swayed in the soft morning breeze. Then, suddenly, the wind grew stronger and carried with it his feather along its invisible currents. Nishinoya, in a daze, watched it arc and twirl in the air—fluidly, freely, a fashion that was incredibly reminiscent to flying. The closeness captured his attention for a few seconds, before he realized that the feather was getting increasingly far away. Once that thought was thoroughly recognized, his arm snapped out to snatch it from the sky on reflex alone.

He took another long gaze at it, and, with a sigh, said "I guess I can't let go of you just yet, huh…?" Nishinoya replaced the feather into his pocket.

From his location, Nishinoya guessed that he was thirty minutes away from the nest if he cruised the entire way there. He stretched out his wings in preparation for flight, then remembered the crudely slaughtered carcass lying on the ground. He should probably take it with him; that _was_ what he spent half the morning doing, and life was not a thing to be wasted. Nishinoya tugged it up into a sitting position to hoist it up into his arms. With the heavy load, it was unlikely that he'd be able walk, let alone get a running start, so he hovered up into the air and zoomed off.

A warm tailwind on his back made the ride smooth sailing. As he flew, his mind was completely blank, like usual. Nothing but the currents rushing past his ears and the dripping carcass for miles upon miles of indistinct landscape, until the familiar forest appeared over the landscape. Undeterred, he zipped right past it's edge, continuing high above the treetops. There was no way he was backing out now.

Nishinoya veered to his left and homed in towards the center. The large tree that the nest was built in came to view quickly enough, and to his relief, his best friend Ryuu was posted on sentry duty, tentatively scanning the sky for something. Strange. He wasn't usually this alert. Nishinoya thought of saying hi for a moment, but decided he first needed to drop off the carcass.

He dived down into the trees, where Ryuu couldn't see him, and landed on a docking pole fastened below the branches. Nishinoya took a moment to take in the old place, and the feeling that he was home. Had it really been a month? The faraway memories of him and Shouyou entering it for the first time were still fresh in his mind. Then after that, their small murder just kept on growing. Five whole years ago. That was a fun time, before they had to deal with the territorial politics that came with more strength.

From a small door to his side, Nishinoya entered the nest. It lead to a narrow hallway that wound around the circumference of the tree's trunk. Further down was a storage room with clothes and medical supplies; up the ladder was the roosting room, where they did things like eating, resting, and learning. It was also where the nestlings slept.

 _That's where I need to head first, I guess._

Nishinoya slung the carcass over his shoulder and ascended the uneven rungs. When he reached the top, the warm scent of earthy smoke swirled around him, hitting his nostalgia even harder. He walked further in as he took a deep breath of the aroma, stopping just before the corner that widened into the rest of the room.

The crow peered out his head around the wall. It was completely dark except for the dying blaze in the fireplace. He couldn't find anyone up, and the nestling's bed was occupied by four distinct lumps.

He dropped the corpse into their carving tub and wiped his talons of blood. Glancing over to the bed, none of the nestlings seemed to have been aroused from his arrival. And, he noticed for the first time, neither had anyone else. Daichi and Sugawara were probably out patrolling, but then what about Chikara? And Ryuu should've realized he was there by now! Geez, what the heck were they doing?

He felt his face scrunch up. Well, he could lecture them about security protocol later. Since he was there, he could watch the nestlings.

Tentatively, Nishinoya inched closer, and caught a glimpse at the smaller crows. Their breaths were steady, chests rhythmically rising and falling. Though he was glad to see all of them well, he couldn't help but be drawn to the orange head of hair that peeked out of the blankets. To Shouyou. To his friend from his blood murder. Nishinoya stuck with him ever since they were thrown out. Well, at least until a month ago.

Shouyou turned over to his side. They'd wake up soon. Nishinoya could wait until then. He backed away and sat down by the fireplace. He then scanned the rest of the room: four desks—notebooks and pencils messily atop them—around a whiteboard inscribed with math equations, a dining table surrounded by chairs. All of this furniture could only fit in the roosting room as it was the largest area in the whole nest. Back then, Daichi didn't know why they had built it as large as was, seeing how it was only the three of them—him, Sugawara, and Asahi—back then. Now the leader crow could confidently say it was to accommodate for their own murder, one that would live under principle, and never repeat the sins of other crows. Nishinoya had never known he wanted to do something so grand until he heard Daichi say that on a watch one day.

He relaxed his muscles as the dissipating warmth of the hearth seeped into him. It was just now that he was feeling his fatigue from taking such a long flight—the first one in quite a while—coupled with staying up for much of the morning, and his eyelids were starting to droop. Nishinoya tried to ward off the urge to sleep, but his head fell down nonetheless. His thoughts wandered back to that hunt as he drifted away into unconsciousness.

" _Asahi, come on, we have to run!"_ _Nishinoya tugged at his arm, forcing Asahi forward. It had taken him a full five minutes to force him to move. Having someone spot them hunting had put the bigger crow into full on panic mode, unable to fully function. If Nishinoya hadn't been there, Asahi probably would've stood there, paralyzed, until police arrived to arrest him. "You idiot, start moving your own legs!"_

" _T-They saw us…. Oh my gosh, they_ saw _us," he muttered indistinctly to himself._

" _Wake up already! We have to get somewhere where we can take off!" The biggest rule of any murder, parliament, or clowder out there: never reveal your true self to any human you don't intend to kill in the next few minutes. Reveal meant a hasty relocation and killing as many witnesses as they could, but up to this point, it was merely a hypothetical situation._

 _Nishinoya could still faintly hear the screams emanating behind them, presumably people reacting to the carcass they were forced to leave in their hurry. The police would be on them in no time, what with their station being down the street apparently._

 _Nishinoya sprinted off through the city street as fast as he could with a despondent Asahi trailing behind him, pushing and shoving past anyone in his way._

" _Stop! This is the police, and we are ordering you to stop!" someone shouted behind them._

" _Who in the hell would listen to that?!" He tried not to turn back and instead focused on weaving through the crowd. "Asahi, over here!" Nishinoya lead them to the back of a closed store. Their chests were heaving for breath as they leaned against the wall, listening for any police. At the moment, no particular noise was approaching them. Nishinoya took this as a sign they were safe for a few seconds, and slumped down to sit._

 _This was beyond bad, and Nishinoya had quite the experience with bad situations. What they were beholding was a worse case scenario when it came to hunting, only bested by killing on someone else's territory and getting caught. It might've been the biggest blunder he's made in the ten years he's been in the murder, but that wouldn't even matter if they were arrested._

Think, think, _he thought,_ there has to be some way out of this!

" _Asahi, can you hear me? Are you still in shock, cause I really need you right now." Nishinoya thumped his fist against the other's leg. "Seriously, snap out of it! Asahi!" he yelled, too loudly most likely, then rose to his feet and gave Asahi a rough shake until at last he said something._

" _What are we going to do?"_

" _I don't know. Damn it, how could I let this happen! Daichi's gonna have my head if we get out of this." He turned away, not knowing of anything else to say, and not able to meet Asahi's lost gaze._

" _N-Nishinoya, it's going to-"_

" _There they are!" a gruff voice shouted, announcing the arrival of several policemen._

 _The two crows sprinted away at full speed back into the street, this time with the harsh tramp of their chasers right behind. The only coherent thought Nishinoya could hear in his head was to keep on running, faster, to somewhere anywhere but here. He craned his head behind., and was quite sure his heart stilled for a moment as he stopped running. Asahi, far ahead, was just noticing what had happened. A hand got hold of Nishinoya, pulling him back so hard he was nearly knocked off his feet._

 _The policemen grabbing Nishinoya's hood got a close look at his face, and surprised, said "What the hell?! You're just a kid!"_

" _L-Let go!" He pulled against the human's grip, thrashing every which way. At least two other policemen ceased their pursuit of Asahi to secure Nishinoya, leaving only one to continue the chase. His wrist was then grabbed; another slammed him into the nearest wall with assistance from the guy who had his hood, and he heard the metallic click of handcuffs being opened. Nishinoya slashed wildly with his ungloved hand, but even that was easily caught in his frenzy._

" _Nishinoya!"_

 _The crow saw Asahi running back to him, shoving aside the lone police officer chasing him. He made the distance between them in only a few seconds, then had no hesitation in prying a human off of Nishinoya and bashing the guy's head into the concrete sidewalk in an audible crack, coloring the concrete with a splatter of dark red. The human didn't get up._

 _Each of the remaining officers shrieked at what was to them a horrific sight, one even scrambling away in hysteria. Nishinoya shoved his captor away, saying to Asahi "Thanks, Asa-"_

 _Two loud noises resounded throughout the hollow night air, one after the other in quick succession. Nishinoya stopped where he was, unable to fully process what had happened. He dropped his head to peer at his stomach and, how strange it was… to see a dark red liquid seep into his jacket. The officer Nishinoya pushed away sat on the ground, shaking arms still outstretched, incredulous at what he had done. Nishinoya noticed his entire body was trembling, and belatedly a dull wave of pain permeated his muscles._

 _Two loud gunshots resounded throughout the hollow night air. Nishinoya fell._

A bone white log in the hearth crackled, erupting forth orange embers. For a few seconds they sizzled, before dying out and again leaving only the smallest of flames. His eyelids silently opened, and Nishinoya reached under his shirt, tracing the indentations of the two scars. It ceased to hurt two weeks ago, but the effects of their forming were still present.

Nishinoya warily rose, shaking off the vivid remembrance, and went over to the curtained window. Parting it let in a sliver of yellow light that crossed over the nestling's bed. Morning was coming quick. He closed the curtain. Nishinoya let out heavy breath as he turned around, to examine the class area, until he was spooked back by an amber illuminated frame standing in front of him.

"No…ya?" they said in a quiet tone, keeping their line of sight squarely on Nishinoya, as if even blinking would make the too-good-to-be-true phantom disappear.

"Shouyou, it's good to see you again." When Hinata stayed quiet, he continued "You seem to be doing well. Your feathers are coming along, too. I'm glad." He mustered a weak smile. "Come on, don't just stand there. It's been a month, you know? We have a lot to catch up on. Tell me all about what's been going-" Nishinoya stopped. This wasn't right. In the fire's glimmer, his face gained a sad visage, but he still tried to remain cheerful. "…It was hard on you, for me to just disappear like that, huh?" Hinata flinched, the first reaction Nishinoya got out of him. "And not only that, I… broke our promise. Shouyou,"—he walked up to the nestling— "I'm so sorry I did that to you." Hinata tipped his head down, and he started to shake all over. Nishinoya couldn't say he didn't expect this kind of response. He wouldn't push it any further. "I see. You're mad at me. I get it. You don't have to forgive me or anything like that. I'll… be with Ryuu up in the sentry's post then."

He stepped back, and was about to pat Hinata's head, like always, only to refrain at the last second and retract his arm. _This is natural_ , he kept on thinking. How could he have expected anything else.

"Y-You're really back…," he heard Hinata whisper. "You're really here!" Then suddenly, Hinata leaped forward, his wings nearly unfurling entirely in a resounding whoosh to drape over the older crow, arms following suit around Nishinoya's shoulders.

"Shouyou…?" was all he could stutter out as Hinata enveloped him tightly in sleep ruffled feathers, their touch warm and cordial.

"You're really here…. You came back. I knew you'd come back eventually, I couldn't imagine losing you." Nishinoya's throat choked up, and he found himself holding back labored breathes. "I remember when I found out you had flown off. I woke up late in the morning, and everyone was in a sort of panic. When I asked Suga what was going on, he started to act really weird, but then he said 'We can't find Nishinoya or Asahi'. And then I got into a panic," he said with a small laugh. "I actually tried flying out to look for you. Jumped out of the nearest window as soon as Suga stopped talking."

"What?!"

"Tanaka and Daichi just barely managed to catch me before I fell down. I wasn't injured, and Daichi only lightly scolded me. A-After that they kept on looking for you whenever they could, but everyday, w-when they got back, they'd just say 'We couldn't find them today either'. Day after day, they'd tell me that. We couldn't find them. And, i-it got h-hard to hear that after a while when I was s-stuck at the nest because I couldn't f-f-fly."

"Shouyou, take your time. Calm down a bit and talk." The little nestling was definitely crying now. His breathing turned ragged, and he trembled so hard in Nishinoya's grasp. Nishinoya wrapped his arms around Hinata's neck, gently cradling the boy's head towards him. At his touch, Hinata ceased holding back his sobs and wailed as much as his conflicted emotions demanded. The older crow simply waited until his tears slowed.

"I actually started to think… 'What if he's never coming back?'."

"You should've."

"I started to get mad at you and Asahi for leaving."

"You had a right to."

"I hated myself for it."

"Don't." He held him more tightly. "Me and Asahi… did something so selfish. And I… I!" Now the tears were welling up in his eyes, choking his voice. "I _hurt_ you…. In a fit of anger, I actually tore out your feathers, when you were looking forward to flying so much."

Hinata withdrew his head to talk face-to-face, tear trails streaking his cheeks. "How could I hate you? You were the only one from my blood murder who didn't abandon me. Not even my parents did that! I couldn't imagine hating you. But… I guess… it did hurt. A lot."

"I don't know what else to say but sorry," Nishinoya admitted shamefully. "I can't believe I made you—everyone go through this much pain. I'll try to do everything I can to make this up to everyone. Whatever that may be, I'll do it."

"…It doesn't have to be anything special."

"What do you mean?"

"Just coming back would be enough. Make things go back to the way they were. Me and Kageyama would fight in the forest, Tsukishima would be an annoying jerk, you'd watch us from the sentry's tower, and Asahi would fight for us," he said, smiling at the thought. "What I mean is, you know, you don't need to do some grand display of repe-repant-repince-"

"Repentance?" Nishinoya suggested with a laugh, finding levity at the nestling's attempt to use a high tier word. Hinata nodded. "You may be onto something here. There's no other way about it, I guess. Take every day, every moment one at a time, like before. Except now, we have a real family with us." They hugged once more, a feeling of completion in seeing each other again. He let it hold so Hinata could dry his face privately, and in doing so, realized another nestling was giving him a side stare with such a scathing gaze. Nishinoya stayed firm, as if conveying ' _I won't run from you'_ through his expression alone. In response, he dropped down from the bed, purposely clinking his talons as he could against the wooden floor.

Hinata, hearing him, turned and realized he was awake. "O-Oh, Tsukishima."

Tsukishima shot him a displeased look before going to a table, dragging his nearly unfurled wings behind him, not saying a word. Then sluggishly, he put on his glasses. "So, my eyes weren't playing tricks," he stated, blinking at them. "You really are back. You sure took your time."

Nishinoya could see his attention flicker to the filled carving tub, adding a touch of incredulousness to his static face. It hadn't changed since he first noticed him, or since the first time they met. Being on the receiving end of it was a bit tough, but nothing he couldn't handle. "I-"

"I'm not interested in any apology or promise, so just skip it," Tsukishima said, before a sly smile cracked on his lips. "But I am curious as to what you've been up to. I mean, a month is a _very_ long time to be away. What's been keeping you busy all of those days you've spent… not here? Cause well, we've been doing a lot of defending, diplomacy, and wondering when the fuck you'd even have the decency to contact us."

The derisive poison laced between Tsukishima's casual banter was obvious. It also stung like hell. Not only from his jerky face, but from how true it was and how he couldn't refute any of it.

Tsukishima was the same at least.

"You know what you should've done? You should've left a note on your bed, saying, like 'I'm leaving for nowhere in particular for an entire month so I can wallow in my own self pity. But when I get back, I'll bring back some food so you'll forget about how pissed you should be.' Like in those books Ennoshita makes us read! Man, that would've been _hilarious_!" He openly laughed, looking down at Nishinoya. Hinata seemed to be barely holding himself back at coming to his flock mates' defense, and bit down on his lip in frustration.

"But I gotta say, this is a good quality carcass. All of the things they tell us to look for." Nishinoya watched him go over to the tub occupied by a limp corpse. He poked at the corpse's cheek, like he expected it spring back to life at any moment. "Did you kill this by yourself? Wait, of course you did. Otherwise you'd have been starving all this time." At that moment, poke turned into pierce, and his claw went cleanly through the flesh. "In all honesty though, what were you thinking when you flew back here?" Tsukishima cut across the cheek in a smooth, arching movement along the cheekbones, small red beads arising in its wake. "That we'd be overcome with joy or something?" He cocked his head to Nishinoya, but still drew a downwards stroke in the carcass. "Maybe Hinata or Tanaka, but not me." Adjacent to the jawline, Tsukishima further cut into it, faster and messier than before. "I'm not so easily won over with this- actually, what is this? A fucking _peace offering_?"

His incisions finished simultaneously as his claw meet the original puncture point. Tsukishima's brow was furrowed, betraying the travail he wanted to keep hidden from his subject of ire. Nishinoya thought he ought to say something, but Tsukishima turned back to the carcass and peeled away the flap of flesh he created. He lifted it up into the air, pausing, then walked towards their bed. He stopped near the somehow deeply sleeping Kageyama.

"Tsukki, what are you doing?" The last nestling emerged from under the blanket, still whispering like he wasn't in plain view of Nishinoya.

"Nothing, Yamaguchi, just waking up the Wolf Prince. He really likes the cheek, remember? Hey, hey, wake up, I've got something for you." He pressed the flesh against Kageyama's cheek, even daring to attempt to stuff it in his mouth. With each press, Kageyama groaned a little louder, and Yamaguchi curled into his cocoon of a blanket a little further. Then finally the crow's eyes burst open, annoyance overflowing, leading him to slash at Tsukishima.

"What the hell are you doing, bastard?!" he yelled as his target sidestepped out of the way.

"Waking you up. I knew you wouldn't want to miss this."

"Well, do you have to be such an ass about it?" Kageyama shoved Tsukishima out of his way, rubbing the grogginess away. "Geez, it's _early_ , don't make me deal with your crap right out of-" He blinked. Once, twice, looking at Nishinoya. "You finally came back," flatly he said, forgetting his ire at Tsukishima. Kageyama appeared to fixate on Nishinoya, examining how he had changed. Then he perked up, saying "Why do I smell human blood?"

"Our remiss guardian brought back a carcass, killed fresh I would presume. Here, why don't you try it?" In a flash, Tsukishima crammed the flesh into Kageyama's mouth, eliciting a few choked noises and his unrestrained rage. On knee jerk reaction, he shoved Tsukishima away, then swung at full strength. All too amused, Tsukishima simply readied himself to counter.

"That's enough!" Nishinoya caught Kageyama's arm before it could land, the two surprised at the speed at which he closed the distance between them. "How many times have we told you not to fight in here? Apologize, both of you. Right now!"

"And why should I?" Tsukishima disputed. "Especially from-"

" _Apologize!"_ he yelled out in an authoritative, unyielding crow, for as guilt ridden as he was, he wouldn't allow for anyone to act in such a manner. Even Tsukishima was startled into momentary silence. But after the surprise wore off, incensement returned the subtle grimace onto him, his stare narrowing further.

"Shut up. You don't have the right to order me around, or the even be here." Brazenly, he shoved Nishinoya away, who continued making direct eye contact. "You, who ran away when things got tough. You, who abandoned us. You, who didn't think about the ones you left behind." Each of his accusations was accentuated by another push, harsher than the preceding one. Then after the third, he abruptly stopped, as if he expected a reaction or denial from Nishinoya. And greeted only with the return of silence, his scowl deepened. "Well? Aren't you gonna say something?"

Nishinoya heard his voice crack. "What is there to say? It's just like you said. When I hurt Shouyou, I ran away from the consequences and I abandoned all of you. Is there something you want me to say that'll somehow justify all of that? Cause there _isn't_. _Nothing_ I could say would make any of this remotely right."

"Then what's the point of you coming here? I don't understand what you intended to do here. Are you gonna protect us on the sentry's post just like before? It won't wipe the slate clean from everything you've made them do. And you don't even know the half of it. How many nights Daichi's had to take the post, how many times Sugawara went out to hunt, even if he just came back from a skirmish, and all the while thinking 'If only those two were here'. You should've stayed in whatever hole you were hiding in."

"I fucking know all of that! But I'd rather face all of you and have you completely reject me then abandon my family. If I did, I'd be no better than my blood murder." He relaxed himself. "That's my answer for you. So hate me or whatever you'd like. I'm staying here unless it's the murder's consensus that I leave."

Tsukishima went completely motionless. Something about Nishinoya's resolve and refusal to be pushed around struck a chord with him; inside, something was stirring that glazed his eyes over in quiet disbelief.

"T-Tsukki, don't you think that that's enough? We can work things out when everyone else gets back. There's no harm in letting him stay." Yamaguchi cautiously approached Tsukishima, trying to quell his anger.

"…That's not the problem here," he mumbled, agitated.

Hinata stepped up, his self control wearing thin. "Then what is?! You're being such a jerk about this, I don't understand what your _problem_ is! Ever since Noya came back, you've been even more of a jerk than usual! Like, a mean jerk, not an annoying jerk."

Tsukishima scoffed in reply. "Figures you'd defend him. You are from the same blood murder, after all."

"What does that have to do with anything? You're not even making sense anymore! What the hell are you even being at mad?!"

"I don't need to restate what's already been said a thousand times. He left, not even caring about what that would do to-"

"Are you sure that's all there is to it?"

"W-What? Of course it is."

"Well, in the ten years I've lived with you, I've never once see you get this mad. You're annoying as can be but you pretty much half-ass anything you aren't interested in. And if you're so angry at Noya that you'd actually expend energy to take jabs at him, then this must hit pretty hard for you. Him leaving couldn't have gotten you this mad. The others having to wear themselves out couldn't have gotten you this mad. It's something else, isn't it?"

"And an idiot who can only has flying in their head thinks they can figure out something like that? Go ahead and try, but don't hurt your brain. We all know you can't afford to damage what little there is." He broadly sneered. "Find nuances where there aren't any for all I care. It won't do you any good."

"I might not know what that means, but even idiots can tell when something's wrong!" His retaliation came without hesitation, and Tsukishima was a little surprised at it. "Just admit it already! There's a different reason why you're being such a jerk!"

"There _isn't_. Why don't you just drop it already?"

"I won't. If you won't say it, then I'll just spell it out for you. Noya _isn't Akiteru!_ "


	3. One More Time Would've Been Nice

With that single sentence, Tsukishima's passive aggressiveness instantly evaporated as he stood, stunned. It seemed he had no snarky comeback to that accusation. But, Akiteru? Shouyou wouldn't go… there, would he? …Oh crap, he totally would. If this was really leading to where Nishinoya thought it was, then things could escalate very quickly.

A new glaze of rage swept across Tsukishima. His wings strangely deflated onto the floor, its feathers spilling about, yet flared in response to his emotions. He was no longer irritated, disgusted, or anything. He may have forgotten about Nishinoya altogether. Anger was the sole driving force in him as he grabbed Shouyou by the collar and single handedly lifted him in the air. "How dare you mention him."

"But it's the truth," Shouyou choked out. "Isn't it? But unlike Akiteru, Noya actually came back. He didn't just disappear, he came back; that's what's got you so mad!"

"You are _seriously-!"_

"That doesn't mean you can just take out on Noya though!" Hinata pushed on, likely knowing if he stopped he wouldn't be able to continue. "That's why we're here, isn't it? That's why we made this family. So it's not fair if you just hide away your feelings. If you have something to say, then spit it out already! I won't take this stupid game of hinting and taunting."

"Hey, knock it off." Kageyama grabbed Tsukishima's arm, the one hoisting Hinata. Their glares met right in the middle. Though a resurgence of their previous fight seemed unavoidable, Tsukishima complied and dropped him, coughing some once on the floor.

"That was a low blow," he said. "I didn't know you were that kind of crow. I'm almost impressed."

"It's what it really is. And the same thing goes for you too, Noya!"

"O-Oh?"

"I mean… what was the point of making this murder and fighting to protect our home if we can't even be open with each other? It's not fair to any of us! That's not the family I want!" At the end, Shouyou was gasping for breath. He spilled everything, whether he wanted to or not. Tsukishima was rather calmly after listening to that. Was he going to start arguing again?

No, Nishinoya couldn't let that happen. As the oldest there, he had a responsibility to keep things in order. What would Sugawara always do when they started fighting? It was something soothing, something really specific… oh, right!

Nishinoya cleared his throat, grabbing the nestling's attention. Then suddenly he drew his voice out into an old crow's lullaby that they all recognized. It had no words, just a melody that Nishinoya chirped to the best of his ability. Everyone gave a look of confusion as to why he was suddenly singing, but it did succeed in relieving the situation of tension.

"Do you guys remember? When you were little, we'd sing that song to you so you'd sleep, or so you'd calm down. That sure was a long time ago," he reminisced. "Come on, let's eat. We can continue this conversation over some intestines." Nishinoya went over to the craving tub and began to prepare their meal. None said a word, watching as he tore its clothing off. The process began with a shallow slice down the abdomen, then another around the sides. He peeled it back, strings of muscle underneath. Setting the skin aside he proceeded to twist each of his limbs of at the joints, blood filling the tub.

"Alright," Nishinoya said when done. "It's time to eat. If you just stand there gaping, the meat's gonna spoil. Here, Shouyou, pass this around while I finish butchering." He threw him an arm that Shouyou barely caught. At first Shouyou continued to stare, but a comforting smile convinced him to rip the flesh into strips and hand it out. They hesitantly started eating.

It was only minutes before every organ was separated from the carcass and piled in the middle of their dining table. Nishinoya hadn't realized how much he missed eating around a table with his family until it was right before him. Kageyama couldn't stop searching for the best cut, Shouyou drooled over their meal. A tantalizing scent of blood mixing with the burning wood draped over him, and he loved it.

"So, I guess I should start. You wanted us to be open with our feelings, right Shouyou?" With a fiber of flesh in his mouth, he nodded. "Then I'll tell you what happened on the night… the night me and Asahi left. You were all away on a practice hunt, so none of you know the details. But if we're really a family, then it is your right to know. In return, while you're listening, I want you think about how we're going to move forward, together. If you think it could include me and Asahi." Nishinoya specifically looked at Tsukishima as he talked, who chose to focus on his liver chunk. "Well then, it went down like this."

" _Asahi," Nishinoya angrily called out the window. The older crow was perched atop a branch above the roosting room, peering through trees nearby. He made no action to move. "Asahi!"_

 _At last Asahi jumped down, meeting him inside. "Nishinoya, I'm on sentry duty right now. Are you sure you should be moving around so much? You might overexert yourself."_

" _Why didn't you go hunting? Ryuu told me you asked him to switch places with you."_

" _That's-"_

" _And last week, you refused to go with Daichi and Suga to that skirmish on the northeast border. Why?"_

 _Asahi stayed silent for a few moments, staring down at Nishinoya before saying "That night… how I froze up, and how you got shot… all of it was my fault. Don't you think so too?" Nishinoya's face creased into an extremely irate expression, "I can't bring myself to-"_

" _It was my own damn fault I got shot, not yours!" he yelled. "Speed and keenness are what I do best, but look at what happened! I didn't notice that guy, I didn't outrun, I couldn't do anything right."_

" _You couldn't outrun them because I was too scared to move! I was holding you back and because of that-!" Asahi shamefully looked at the slight bulge under Nishinoya's shirt. Even after an entire month, the wounds had yet to completely heal. It would hurt whenever he tried to fly, or do much else. Because of that, Nishinoya had been confined to bed rest in the nest ever since. Even now that it had recovered somewhat, Daichi forbade him from leaving. "There's no telling when my cowardice will cause more trouble. And next time, it might be more than injuries. More than anything, I can't forgive myself."_

" _I just told you that what happened was my own damn fault, didn't I?! I'm not letting you squander your strength like this. Chikara and Ryuu just left ten minutes ago. If you take off right now, you can catch up to them." He grabbed Asahi by the arm and pulled him towards the docking branches, adamant on getting him to hunt even if he had to push Asahi out himself._

" _No, I can't go hunting again, not after what happened!" Asahi whipped his hand away, stepping back. "This isn't only about you. The last time I went hunting, when you were unconscious, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. The memory of you getting shot keeps replaying in my head." He brought his hands to his temple. "And each time I see it, I keep thinking that I should've been able to do something. 'Why didn't I kill that guy when he spotted us?' 'Why couldn't I have protected you?' I start thinking about that, and all of a sudden, m-my talons won't stop shaking, I can't move…." He turned around, apparently unable to face Nishinoya directly any longer. "I got lucky that time. Suga was able to kill the prey, even though he was the lure. Don't you see, this is exactly what I'm terrified of. I'm… done with it. Never again will I risk any of their lives. You especially! If you had actually died because of me, then…!"_

 _Nishinoya could see Asahi tremble as his spoke, could hear the scared crack in his voice. Maybe it was because they hadn't spoken to each much in the last few weeks, but Nishinoya didn't know any of that had happened. Why didn't Asahi tell him that before? Cause he wanted him to focus on recovering? That was stupid!_

" _The same thing happens when I fight, too. And even if I go out hunting again, it's all meaningless if I can't bring in the kill. I'd just be endangering you or Suga again."_

" _Then…" —Nishinoya snagged Asahi's collar and forced the bigger crow to look him in the eye— "when the hell_ are _you gonna hunt?!" Asahi's forehead furrowed in frustration. He tried to pry Nishinoya's talons away, but was met with a rather impressive amount of resistance for him. "Tomorrow? Next week? Next month?!"_

" _How should I know!" Asahi shoved Nishinoya away, inadvertently pushing him to the ground in his anger. For a moment he was shocked, and he unconsciously reached his hand out to help. Nishinoya slapped it down._

" _Do you understand what you're wasting here?" He jumped onto his feet and strided over to Asahi to grab onto him again. "You have the strength to protect the entire murder single handedly, to take down any enemy. But not me!" Now enraged, Nishinoya started to violently shove him across the room. "I can kill any human just fine, sure, but if I'm up against some owl, or hawk, I… I get scared!" The smaller crow half-heartedly hit his fist on the other's chest, head tipped down as the arduous words came out. "My wings are underdeveloped, my talons are too small, and I'm so light flying on a somewhat windy day is tough. But even still, in spite of that," —he turned his head up— "I'd go into battle all the same. Against a cast of hawks dozens strong, or a migratory flock numbering in the hundreds, that don't matter to me! You know why? Cause I'm fighting to protect them,_ our _family. None of these stupid doubts matter when they're counting on me to protect them, and I'm sure as hell not going to let them down! So don't you think for a_ second _that you're the only one with doubts!"_

 _There were too many emotions going through his head, he couldn't concentrate. What he wanted to say, everything he's kept bottled up, they came bursting through far too quickly. Yet at this point Nishinoya didn't think he could stop._

" _That's why, when you say you can't stop shaking, when you say a little doubt is enough to stop you in your tracks, I get so_ fucking _mad! You know your place isn't here, watching the nest. That's my job. You should be out there, hunting so the nestlings can have another meal," Nishinoya nearly growled. "I have never_ once _blamed you for what happened. You could make a thousands mistakes, and I would still want to be by your side. But if you could just throw everything we've built up to wallow in your self-pity then… I can't forgive that."_

" _You can say what you want. I still can't hunt," he said, heavy breaths at each word. "It's something someone like you can't understand. I don't have your confidence, I can't just take it all in stride. I'm a coward who runs at the first sign of trouble! I don't deserve your sympathy, so just_ leave me alone!"

 _Nishinoya simply glared at him. Asahi, thinking the other finally conceded, reached up to the hand still clutching his shirt. He gently pulled on Nishinoya's wrist with his once taut fading away to naught. Asahi replaced the arm by his side, and moved away._

" _No." Nishinoya abruptly clamped onto his wrist once again, hard enough to pierce Asahi's skin and draw blood. The older crow turned to meet the other, and shuddered upon seeing the absolutely livid glow he was emanating. "I won't let you run away from this."_

" _R-Run away?!"_

" _Yeah, you're running away!" he yelled. "How do you expect to get over this if you don't face it head on?! You won't ever get past this if you don't try! For all you know, you'll be able to get the next one! You won't ever know unless you try!" Nishinoya shoved Asahi against the wall, creating a loud enough thud that they were unable to hear other crows enter the nest. Asahi struggled to pry himself free, but the smaller crow in turn rebelliously jostled him into the various surroundings. Shelves spilled, tables turned, and brooms were broken in Nishinoya's tirade._

 _For the next few moments, Nishinoya couldn't feel anything but his consuming rage. Eventually, he heard someone else's voice yell at him. Nishinoya ignored them. Then someone pulled at him, and, without thinking, he swept up at them with his outstretched talons. What he touched was undeveloped feathers, and Nishinoya realized too late._

"You… know the rest," Nishinoya concluded. Shouyou fidgeted a bit when he got to the end, but kept on tearing away at his morsel. And Tsukishima was weirdly quiet, appearing troubled. They were all keeping busy by eating. "Did you think about what I said? How we're going to move on as a murder from now on? There's no way we're going to hold on to our territory if we can't come together again. So, let's hear it."

Then unexpectedly, Yamaguchi nervously sprang up from his seat. "I-I…." He swallowed hard. "I just want to say that, um, I mean, I've wanted to say this for a while, but…." Yamaguchi lifted his head up and continued. "You all know how we all ended up together. It was mostly tragic circumstances, sure, but, I'm still glad that things ended up like this c-cause I got to meet all of you, a real family. S-So, please… I want us to stop fighting."

"But, Yamaguchi, you're not mad at me?" Nishinoya asked.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. It was terrible what you two did, but… don't you think the fact that you came back, after all of that, means even more?" Now Yamaguchi had caught the attention of everyone at the table. "It means you want a second chance. And I think we should give it to you. Cause, when I imagine you, I still see the kind Guardian Deity."

Nishinoya wanted to ignore the warmth flushing his cheeks, yet he couldn't look away from his little nestlings. So he rubbed his nose and pretended it didn't exist.

"Me too! I think so too!" Hinata shot up and joined Yamaguchi on the other side of the table. "Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone can get better. Right, Kageyama? Say something!" He started to playfully shake Kageyama's shoulders.

"H-Hey, stop it! It's not like I was against this in the first place!" Kageyama pushed Shouyou's head away, and said "I just want things to go back to normal so we can prepare for the Winter Territorial Conquests. Your calling abilities are vital to our strength- gah, Hinata you dumbass!" Unable to resist his pokes any longer, Kageyama went into full out fight mode and brought them both to the ground, wrestling about. Yamaguchi cautiously hovered above the two, perhaps wondering if he could stop them.

All that was left at the table was Nishinoya and Tsukishima. The nestling stared him down, not saying a word. "I believe it's your turn, Tsukishima. What's your answer?"

"Well, I think this is hardly fair. What else am I supposed to say in the face of that rousing speech?" His expressing was thoroughly sarcastic, though noticeably softer, by Tsukishima standards. It dropped after a moment and his gaze wandered to the table. "…Do you hate your blood murder, Nishinoya?"

"There's no doubt I do. I hate the old customs of the Forest, and my parents who let it happen. 'The weak do not deserve to live, therefore they must be purged'. That was their way, and so we were cast out. I couldn't fly even though I was past age, among other things; Shouyou had abnormally small wings. It was an easy decision for them," Nishinoya said flatly.

"Then you should realize why I can't just accept you coming back here. Disappearing- _Abandoning_ us for some personal reason I don't know about is something I can't let slide. It might've been a terrible tragedy. Akiteru might've had some 'good reason'. I don't really care. What matters is you walked out on us when we needed you the most. You betrayed our trust."

"I did. I'm sor-"

"Let me finish," Tsukishima interrupted. "That doesn't mean… that a reason isn't important."

"What do you mean? I thought you didn't care about reasons."

"That's right, I don't. Having a good reason wouldn't make it better. Listening to your story, though, about _why_ you left, made me realize… it's not just about me in this situation. It's about you and the murder too. Not only that, I don't know why Akiteru abandoned me eleven years ago." His talons curled into tight fists as he thought on it more. "None of it made any sense. Nothing seemed abnormal. Just, out of nowhere, he wasn't there when I woke up. That's why I can't forgive him; I don't know _why_ he did it and I probably never will. And this time, it happened again with you. Except you came back, and I know why you left. To me, that's a big difference. That's the difference between you and Akiteru. I realize that now." Tsukishima looked Nishinoya straight in the eyes and said "I'm not going to forgive you, not today. But I am willing to give you a chance. So stick around and make yourself useful."

When he stopped talking, he reached over to the mound of organs and stuffed the first thing he could grab into his mouth. From how his expression had defaulted back to mildly annoyed, Nishinoya assumed he had no intention of saying anymore, or answer any follow up Nishinoya had. So the crow simply smiled at their halfway resolution and shouted out to the other nestlings "Are you guys really done eating, cause there's still a lot here!"

Then their fighting halted immediately, calling them around the table. With the tense atmosphere all but vanished, the meal turned into the ones of Nishinoya's memories. And it was only then that it was truly sinking in: he was _back._ Eating at his _home_ , not behind a building in a red-light district. He couldn't help but smile and wolf down some lung.

"Ah! I just realized," Shouyou said. "Shouldn't we tell Tanaka that you're back? And that we're eating?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about Ryuu, what with everything else that was going on. Plus I was carrying a carcass at the time, so I couldn't zip up there and say hi. You think he'll be mad we started to eat without him?" Nishinoya shared a laugh with Shouyou, but the mention of Ryuu brought another crow into mind, someone that really should've been with them. "Hey, where's Chikara? If Ryuu's on sentry, then he should be on watch here."

Yamaguchi swallowed a mouthful of rib and answered "I think he said he was going to check on Tanaka up on the post cause of this bad feeling he had. That was a couple hours ago I think…. Could something have happened?"

"A bad feeling?" Nishinoya didn't like this. Chikara's intuition was spot on most of the time, so there was no doubt that something was up here. And for it to take him away from the nestlings for so long…. Nishinoya started to sense foreboding. "Guys, wash off your talons and be on alert. I'm not sure if anything's wrong, but I know for a fact Chikara wouldn't just leave you alone for so long, not without a reason."

"Actually, I have noticed something a bit weird," Yamaguchi said. "For a while now, I've been hearing a screeching in the distance."

"That's just the dumb songbirds trying to attract a mate, isn't it? They always start this early in the morning."

"Not just that, Tsukki, listen carefully. It's not singing, it's like someone calling, or shrieking. And it sounds really disturbing, too." Everyone tried to hear what Yamaguchi was describing. Nishinoya picked up on something in the west, a low piercing cry. It was nearly undetectable a few minutes before, but now it was relatively clear. Wait, if it was becoming easier to hear then…!

"Something's coming, get down!" was all he had time to say before something broke through the wall, and onto Nishinoya. The unknown object swept them both straight across to the opposite side of the room. Dislodged debris was sent flying everywhere, followed by a thick cloud of dust.

A sharp pain erupted from his abdomen once he bounced down to the floor. Just his luck; he managed to land on his scars . There was now blood staining his shirt, but he didn't pay it much heed. Not when there were more pressing matters at hand. "Hey! Is anyone hurt?" Total silence. Not a single answer, and the dread in his head started to run like crazy. "Shouyou! Yamaguchi! Say something!" Still nothing. Nishinoya swept some debris off his back and stood. Visibility was low with the cloud of dust present. The quicker he was able to identify who _dared_ to attack them, the better, so he raised his wings high, and blew the brume away with one flap.

"N-Noya…!"

" _Shouyou_!" To his terror, Shouyou and Tsukishima stood at the wall furthest away from him, surrounded by three huge birds baring their talons. Tsukishima pushed the other crow behind him, shielding him with his wings, and Shouyou seemed to be reeling in from the shock of the suddenness of everything. Without a second thought, Nishinoya splayed his feathers as far as they'd go, growling "Get away from them you fucking _bastards_ -!"

"I'd stop right there if I were you. This chick might get hurt you know," a smooth, female voice said.

"And who the hell are you?!"

"Stop shouting, you stupid crow. I'm giving you one last warning to stand down or I will snap his neck. So just fold your wings and we can have a little chat, if you are capable of that."

"What?" Nishinoya finally found the girl that was speaking, standing in front of the gaping hole they made upon crashing in. She was tall, with large brown wings half furled behind her. The air about her was stern, menacing and intimidating, but Nishinoya didn't have the time to analyze any of that when he saw what was squirming under the grip of her talons where Shouyou used to be.

"I-I was too slow…. I didn't realize and… I'm so sorry," Shouyou stammered. "Kageyama!"

"Idiot…. Now isn't the time for that!" The girl had her foot and their sharp claws perfectly wrapped around the back of his neck. Kageyama desperately gasped for breath as he tried to free himself, wings beating against the floor.

"Damn hawks! You messed with the wrong flock!" To his side, someone arose from the rubble with a heavy thud of the branch that was atop him. The person shook some dust off, and with a raised fist declared "Just a bunch of cowards, huh? Let Kageyama go!"

"Ryuu!" The two looked at each other for the first time, and Nishinoya was surprised at how injured he seemed. He wanted to say so many things, but the one that burst out first was "Who the hell are they?!"

"A cast of hawks I spotted a few hours ago. They got really close to the nest, so I asked Ennoshita to go after them."

"You sent Ennoshita to deal with an entire cast?!"

"I thought there were only a couple of them, I swear!" Tanaka insisted. "When I saw that those guys weren't alone, I went to help him." Nishinoya gave him a disapproving look. "I-I know, I know, 'Sentry rule number one: never leave the post unattended', but I just couldn't leave Ennoshita out there by himself. And you were here too, so the nestlings were perfectly safe!"

"You didn't know that when you left…. Whatever, let's talk later. Where's Yamaguchi?"

"R-Right here…." Wearily, he raised his hand from beneath a rubble pile.

"Oh great, you're safe! Are you hurt?" Tanaka asked as he helped Yamaguchi up. Meanwhile, Nishinoya stared down the leader whose flock members, each in the same dark uniform, were pouring into their roosting room. Three in total flanked her, specifically around Kageyama. Another three perched outside. But when the last hawk landed, they found it fit to bring their foot down harshly on Kageyama's hand, drawing a sharp cry.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Nishinoya growled at them in warning, yet all that did was make them laugh in amusement. The hawk ground his heel in a few times before stopping, a dark bruise coloring Kageyama's hand.

"Wow, are you blind or something? You're not the one calling the shots here."

"Then who the hell is?!"

"Just what I'd expect from low-life crows; absolutely no manners from that one. But, I suppose I could grace you with my name. Ena, leader of the Hokuto Mercenaries. You won't live long to truly treasure that knowledge, though. Before morning comes, this tree will be feed the blood of nine more crows by our hands."

"One for theatrics, huh? Say it in less than five words next time!" Though Nishinoya joked, he realized the danger they were in. These hawks weren't here for territory, political favor, or any of that stupid stuff. She wanted their heads, she was hired to get them! Someone actually sent renowned mercenaries to eliminate Karasuno. Nishinoya didn't care who it was, he just needed to make sure they don't fulfil their contract. Maybe if he stalled long enough, Sugawara and Daichi would come back and they could fight on even ground. That was all he could hope for at this point, as there was no possible way they could fend off this many hawks by themselves.

"Well I say nine, but there's only six of you here. Who-is-mis-sing?" Ena drew out each syllable in a sing songy voice, surveying every crow she could see. "Four flightless chicks, two hot heads… oh, we're missing your leaders, Sawamura and Sugawara, and that giant Azumane aren't we? Are they out hunting or something?"

"Ena, let's not focus on that right now. I think it's better this way, honestly. We might've run into trouble if Karasuno were at full strength, but now I'm certain this will be an easy job. Let's just exterminate the ones here and take the rest out when they get back," the hawk facing Tsukishima assessed.

"Don't be such a bore, Samaru! I like to have fun on these jobs. Especially when we're dealing with crows. We get paid a good sum, _and_ we rid the world of some vermin. It's a win-win situation as far I can see."

"Can you _please_ just get things moving already?"

"Fine! Fine, whatever floats your boat, we'll do this the quick and boring way. You, the one with the bleached hair, you're Nishinoya, right? And the shaved head is Tanaka? You guys want to give us a bit of a fight, or shall we just start chopping heads off?"

"Like we're actually going to let you kill our family. I don't know who's crazy enough to hire you, but do you realize what you're doing here? What enemies you'll make if you actually cash in on this?" Tanaka said, walking next to Nishinoya with Yamaguchi in tow, clutching onto his shoulder.

"Not in the least!" she proclaimed while sprouting a remorseless grin. "Like we care about Nekoma or Fukurodani. Your bullshit alliance can go to hell. If either of them dares to go after the Hokuto Mercenaries, we'll execute them just like anyone else."

"Territories and politics frankly don't concern us. All we care about is the reward we'll get when we report back with a bag of crow talons."

"You're seriously underestimating them, you know. Our friends aren't your run of the mill monsters. They'll rip you apart before you even see them!" Tanaka gave Nishinoya a glance, appearing to catch onto his plan to stall out the inevitable fight from breaking out as long as possible. The two of them were the only ones capable of taking down a hawk, but that wouldn't matter if they couldn't get rescue Kageyama, Shouyou, and Tsukishima. How to do that though?! It was only a matter of time before they got impatient.

"We're not scared of owls and cats. In fact, we're not scared of you either," another girl taunted.

"That's exactly right, Retsuko! Crows pose no-" Ena suddenly stopped, her gaze turning wrathful as it fell on Nishinoya. He feared the worst from how her cocky demeanor disappeared. If she figured out they were stalling, then he needed to think of fight strategy. In preparation, Nishinoya slightly unfurled his wings. Ena then drew special attention at them, and it seemed her eyes narrowed in disgust.

"A slender, but strong wing build. Dull black feathers. Sharp tips. Long, thin tail feathers. Not just you, that orange head over there has it too. You… you're Primordials, aren't you?!" Nishinoya felt a pit open up in his stomach as he processed what she said. Primordial. The monsters ingrained in the olden ways. Centuries ago when Migrants evolved alongside humans, they stayed behind in their myth-shrouded Forests, and antagonized those who breached generations of tradition aggressively. As such, tensions between the two groups grew, until it simply became hatred. Migrants had many a reason to abandon the archaic traditions, for more than the changing times. Like Primordials forbidding departure from the Forest…or purging their weakest. Ena took his reaction as proof. "I knew something especially rank was here! It's you two backwards hicks! You've got _Primordial_ blood."

"N-No! You've got it w-wrong!" Yamaguchi blurted out in a quivering voice, body shaking.

"What was that, pipsqueak? You can't seriously be defending them."

"Just be quiet," he tried to insist through clenched teeth. The last thing he needed was for Ena to set her sights on the only nestling not in their claws. Not only that, Nishinoya actually had to concur that Primordials were as terrible as she said.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you witnessed what they do, like I have. Entire colonies destroyed, sacrifices to a nonexistent Morrighan, flocks split apart! They're small in numbers, but their fanaticism for the ancient ways run deeper than most other Primordials."

"Neither of them did any that though…. I-I know those stories, and I also know how kind Hinata and Nishinoya are. Hinata would always play with me and cheer me up, and he never teased me for falling behind when we played. And Nishinoya is so dedicated to protecting us, it's inspirational!" Confidence swelled in him the more he went on, convincing himself that there was no fault in the words he said. While the hawk still intimidated him, he found the courage to keep going. "There's no way people who gave me a home would do such terrible things. Neither of them have even seen another Primordial for years! They're my family, and I won't stand for you to insult them!"

" _Tadashi_ , that's enough!" Yamaguchi winced at his severe tone, backing up immediately, but did not regret what he had said. It certainly wasn't appreciated-Shouyou absolutely beamed with admiration and gratitude. Nishinoya, though, couldn't care less about her prejudices. How true they were, what she's personally seen, that had nothing to do with their predicament.

"That's quite the nerve you got to talk to me like that, but it doesn't change what's in his tainted veins: the blood of cruel, ruthless beasts that destroy anything that defies them. Just because he's not with them doesn't mean he isn't like them." Ena clicked her tongue while bringing a hand to her forehead. "And to think I actually held a bit of respect for Karasuno. Turning yourself from nobodies to an actual player in the political stage takes a lot of guts, I had to acknowledge that at least. But now that I know you let Primordials into your flock, even that tiny shred has disappeared."

"We don't need your approval-"

"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care! I want to get out of here right now! Samaru, kill the Primordial!"

"Roger that," Samaru replied, and he promptly swung at Tsukishima, who barely caught it inches from his face. The difference in strength was all too obvious as he struggled to force Samaru away. "I can kill you later. My orders right now are to snap that Primordial's neck, so if you just give him up you can live for a few more minutes."

"Ah, is that so? Well, sorry to say but it's just in my nature to inconvenience dead brain dolts," he taunted with a sneer. Samaru then swept at his ankle, sending him to the floor, and gave a hard stomp to his stomach. With a flick of his wrist, Samaru commanded the other two hawks to move in on Shouyou.

"T-Tsukki! Hinata!" Quicker than anyone could detect, Yamaguchi was charging at Samaru. He managed to knock the hawk off of Tsukishima and help him up, only to find himself surrounded by hostiles on all side. Samaru recovered from his fall, slightly angered. The moment he was up he slashed at Yamaguchi, drawing blood on his arm as he dodged.

"Oh my gossh, you are so annoying!" Ena whined, seeing their short battle. "If you won't give us that heathen, then I'll just start with this one." She took the back of Kageyama's shirt and forced him up. He immediately tried to break away from her grip, but Ena merely clutched his throat, hoisting him onto his tiptoes. Then Nishinoya had to watch in horror as she started towards the huge hole, opening up to a long drop below.

Suddenly Nishinoya could feel piercing raindrops on his wings, whipping wind splicing through his hair; phantom sensations from a long ago time. A much larger bird was dragging a flightless nestling over a great height with the intention to kill him. There was no meaning. No greater purpose in it. Only the wish for death. So when Nishinoya began running, he held not a strand of anger towards Ena, but simply fear for Kageyama.

Ena brought him over the edge, feet dangling in the open air, and forced him to meet her gaze. The hawk's eye shifted to a rich, nearly emerald green that Nishinoya knew signified the activation of her Oculus, the Eyes of Accipiter. Kageyama's resistance faded away the more it erased his consciousness, then soon his arms went totally limp. Ena confirmed the light in his eyes disappeared, then tossed him out like a piece of trash.

He pushed through Ena and her cronies and dived down with no hesitation, wings tucked in all the way for maximum speed. His third eyelids shut tight so he could keep focus on Kageyama. How long had Kageyama looked? The effect of the Eyes of Accipiter only lasted the same length of time as one was made to see, but even that would prove to be too long. Kageyama was falling head first down, at least four seconds ahead of him. If he hit the ground, there would be no doubt he'd die. _Kageyama would die._

 _Kageyama would die!_

Outstretching his hand, Nishinoya inched his way to the nestling little by little. The earth advanced all too quickly in his peripheral vision, but he was able to catch up to Kageyama, enough to reach the toes of his shoe. Nishinoya grabbed onto it and flapped as hard as he could to reduce their momentum, sending them back up quite a bit.

"Hey, wake up! You hear me? Wake up!" Kageyama remained unmoving. Damn, how much power did Ena put into her Oculus to knock him out for so long? Then something hard smashed onto the area between his wings, letting Kageyama slip out of his grip. And the moment he did, a large gap was created between him, larger than the one before.

Nishinoya turned around, and just above him were the three hawks that perched outside. Ena must have sent them after him. He didn't have a single second to deal with them, but it wasn't like they'd just let him rescue Kageyama from a fatal fall. They formed a perimeter around him, to which Nishinoya roared "Get out of my way!" He zipped in close to the one blocking his path to Kageyama, taking them by surprise before he landed a clean slice on their neck. Following the burst of blood, Nishinoya went past them and resumed his chase to Kageyama. But from looking at the distance, his head was telling him that there was no way he could make it in time.

No, that couldn't be. It couldn't be too late. He folded his wings in and went full speed once more. Nishinoya urged his hand to reach further, for the wind resistance to lessen, anything so he could save his little nestling. This would just be like last time, when his blood murder threw him and Shouyou over that cliff. Both of them would get out of this. It had go that way!

"Graahh!" Nishinoya lost his train of thought as the female hawk drop kicked into his side, sending him spiraling out of control. He reoriented himself only after traveling several yards away, and a hawk was already on top of him, slamming their elbow onto his chest. They never allowed Nishinoya a moment to catch his bearings as they tossed him around, purposefully not using their talons to prolong their bit of fun. The force of a single blow was enough to take his breath away, and a flurry only added to his endeavor to not lose consciousness.

"I always forget how light crows are. It's so easy to push you around!" a hawk said while punching Nishinoya across his face. He dragged the crow in close, saying "Why do you even try when you're so weak? You should've stayed in your Forest like all the other freaks."

"Ka-Kageyama…." To the hawk's surprise, Nishinoya still resisted, drawing shallow red lines on his arm, fiercely determined. "Let me go you damn bastards!"

"That chick Aoba Jousai picked up? Oh, the one Ena threw out. Ha, sorry to say, but that vermin's long gone. That a look for yourself!" He pulled Nishinoya to the side, giving him a clear view of what was before them.

Absolutely nothing.

He looked everywhere for Kageyama. The skies, completely vacant. The ground, covered in a thick layer of shrubbery. Behind, forward, below, above- he wasn't anywhere. Kageyama c-couldn't have… not when he just got back. And his promise, he promised them he'd make things right!

As his eyes continued darting around the area, Nishinoya for some reason recalled the time when he first met Kageyama, back then a small child the same age as Shouyou. It was his presence, along with Tsukishima's, that convinced him to trust Asahi and the others. What kind of terrible crows would take in two orphans, right? Then he decided to join them, and they grew together. Their wings, territory, affection only became larger the more time passed. Kageyama struggled in Ennoshita's lessons, but was most likely to get the kill in hunting practices. Him and Shouyou fought all the time, then afterwards split the single heart in a carcass. He wanted to reach the sky so much. But now he wouldn't be able to, all because Nishinoya couldn't save him.

"That Kageyama deserved to die," he heard the female hawk snicker, and every thought he had stopped. "Being a crow is a sin in of itself, but I heard his egg was abandoned. Even his parents knew he was garbage."

 _Shut up._

"Yeah, Koemi, I know right? I don't get why those wolves choose to raise him though. If I found a crow egg, I'd crush it; nip the problem at the bud and be done with it," the other one said.

 _You don't know shit!_

"I just wish I could have killed him myself."

" _Shut up! Shut your damn mouths!"_ Nishinoya pushed himself away from the male hawk, anger exploding, and slashed deeply into the side of his head. Their haughty taunting ceased as he screamed out in pain, holding his torn ear, the others swooping down in different directions. He blew the one coming in from below away with an axe kick, landing sharply on her shoulder. "You mercenaries make me sick! Killing for some client! _Killing Kageyama!_ Be thankful if there's anything left to bury when I'm done with you!"

"You kill for food, and for defense, what's so different about doing it for pay?" Talons truly bared, she jabbed above the crow. Nishinoya dodged and grabbed her wrist.

"Meaningless killing is inexcusable. That's Karasuno's rule!"

"A Primordial crow doesn't get to say such platitudes to us!" She pulled away from Nishinoya and retreated back with the other hawks. Just a moment later they resumed their all out attack, going for the kill. Their speed totally overwhelmed him; he couldn't tell where they'd attack next. Someone cut open his upper arm, then another slammed a foot into his abdomen. Attacks came one after the other, no intermission between, and Nishinoya felt the immense strength of each as his blood started to spill.

Nishinoya flew upwards, to get a better window to attack, only to be dragged back by his tail feathers. Koemi lead the ensuing onslaught on him, and Nishinoya scarcely had the energy to ward off half of their strikes. His tiredness led him to focus entirely on not letting an attack land, no way to counter. Eventually Nishinoya's defenses broke down as the two girls kneed his chest simultaneously, with the male hawk about to repay his reddened ear.

" _Hrraaugghhh!_ " An approaching cry surprised all of them, but even more surprising was someone slamming into his attacker. They sank downwards and Nishinoya took advantage of Koemi being distracted by sweeping their heads, sending them away. Now freed from their danger, Nishinoya allowed himself a chance to breathe. The damage he received built up, and suddenly he hadn't the power to even move his wings. Darkness overtook his vision. _"Nishinoya? Nishinoya, hang on!"_

His eyes burst open to the sight of the roosting room zooming in at an alarming rate. Before he knew it, he was crashing in, halting any ongoing battle as everyone stopped. Nishinoya was thrown haphazardly against a wall, and when everything wasn't spinning, sought to find who flew him up.

That person had similarly landed inelegantly, but instead of a wall, Retsuko-about to corner Shouyou- caught the brunt of his propulsion and fell with him against a cabinet. The impact caused a drawer to pop out, accompanied by a loud rattle. Seeing this, he reached into it and pulled out the first thing he could grab, knowing full well what that particular drawer contained: Sugawara's butchering tools.

Retsuko laid flat on her back, defenseless against the crow that descended her. He drew the large knife high above his head and plunged half of its length between Retsuko's eyes. It was a clean cut with no splatter, blood only spilling forth after the fact. Death came quickly, or perhaps instantly to the hawk, for no shriek nor panicked expression came from her. The crow withdrew the blade from her unmoving corpse and stepped back, taking in what he just accomplished.

"Ka-Kageyama…!" Tanaka stammered. "Did you just…?"

With some difficulty, Nishinoya stood and had to blink a few times to make sure being beaten senseless hadn't messed with his sight. Of course, he truly was beholding Kageyama, completely unhurt before him. How was this possible? Nishinoya didn't see him anywhere. He wasn't sure if he should've been overjoyed at his survival, or furious that the nestling had the nerve to make him go through that. No, wait, Kageyama wasn't a nestling anymore. The only way he could've saved himself was-!

"I… I did it…," Kageyama said between heavy exhales. He raised a hand in front of himself, then balled it into a fist. "I flew!"

"Everyone fall back, that's an order!" From Ena's call, the hawks gathered around her, whispering and murmuring to each other. Some seemed enraged that Retsuko had been killed, others appeared more baffled that a crow had the capability at all. Nonetheless, their invasion reached a standstill as both sides regrouped.

Shouyou was the first to jump onto Kageyama, belting out a long string of questions. "How did you do that?! You flew through the air on your own, that's crazy! I didn't think anyone else could learn how to fly mid-fall besides Noya. Kageyama, you're so amazing!"

"T-That makes the two of us. I'm so glad y-you're okay… Kageyama…." Now that Nishinoya was on solid ground, his feet felt terribly heavy and they collapsed beneath him. Tanaka and Kageyama rushed to catch him, helping him sit down.

"Whoa, Noya! Are _you_ okay? You've got bruises all over."

"Oh you know, just the usual. Nothing new, right? I completely suck at direct combat anyway. That's why I keep myself cooped up at the sentry's post." He tried to put on a weary grin, but that only made his flock mates worry more. "Kidding aside, what you did was nothing short of a miracle, Kageyama. When I couldn't see you anymore, I really thought you died. You have no idea how relieved I am to know you're alive."

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Kageyama said, tipping his head. "It all happened so fast, I had to think on the spot. I regain consciousness and I'm seconds away from the ground. Then, this weird feeling overtook me. I stopped thinking, spread my wings out, and stopped myself from crashing. It was all so… natural, a-and amazing!"

"So you're telling me I busted my ass to save you for nothing? Ha, ain't that something. But let's leave the whole story for later. Their little huddle isn't going to last forever. Shouyou, can get you get some meat from the table? I need to g-get my energy back." There wasn't a part in Nishinoya's body that wasn't sore. His back muscles burned; his wings were locking up. This pain was the proof of the difference between them and a hawk. However, more fighting still laid ahead, and he needed to be at his best.

Shouyou took a glance over to the hawks, absorbed in their argument, and crawled to their dining table. As silently as he could, he brought back an arm's worth of flesh. "Kageyama, you have to eat too."

"Huh? Why…?" Then while he said that, his adrenaline rush wore off, bringing him to his knees from a new kind of exhaustion. "My wings are so stiff and… I can hardly move. Is this normal?"

"It's normal, trust me. You'll be super tired for a while." Nishinoya split the meat in half and gave Kageyama the rest, who tore into it in large bites, feeling better right away.

"The first time is always tough. You don't got the muscle memory or the rhythm down, and it just drains you. Don't worry, though, we'll teach you when this is all over," Tanaka said in his usual cheerful tone.

"Hey, Ryuu, we have to talk about what we're going to do next. Bring it in guys." The crows gathered in close and listened to Nishinoya's plan.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road. You've had your time to chat." The two older crows took to a frontal position around their nestlings and new fledgling. From that snack, Nishinoya was able to stand on his own. Not at full power, but close enough. Ena stepped out to meet them, only a couple yards between them. To the hawk Nishinoya wounded, she commanded "Arinaga, you understand, right? Retreat now. Update the client and wait for us."

"But I can still fight-!"

"You are hurt and a liability! Get out right now if you want to keep your other ear!" Arinaga cowered back, murmuring his compliance before jumping out the hole. Eight hawks remained.

"So here we are and _you're_ the ones with the first casualty. Must be pretty humiliating for you hawks to get whopped by some low life crows." Their positions were more favorable than when they first came in. No one was in immediate danger, and there were less hawks to keep track of. Nishinoya felt more confident about their layout.

Yet still Ena smirked. "The first casualty? You are mistaken. That honor belongs to you, I believe."

"And what are you going on about now? Kageyama's right here!"

"Yes, and he killed my closest aide! You will pay for Retsuko's death!" she growled with actual rage. "That's not what I'm talking about. The droopy eyed guy, Ennoshita. He should be finished right about now."

"Chikara…?" Since the battle had begun, Nishinoya didn't think of where their friend was. It was strange that he hadn't returned yet…. "Ryuu, where's Chikara?"

"I don't know. He was with me the entire time when we were fighting outside. Then I got lobbed down here-"

"I sent four of my four best men after him. They're wrapping up now."

"You're lying! There's no way that's true! Ennoshita's too smart to be killed like that," Shouyou said.

"Really? Let me see what I remember from the info the client gave us…. Hmm, not much stood out. In fact, there was barely anything at all. He must've been a boring guy."

Tsukishima scoffed, rebuking "And how exactly do you plan to convince us that he is dead? You got his head in your back pocket or something? If not, I'd just cut your argument right there."

"Hey, I'm just spelling out the most likely scenario. Common sense will tell you no one could stand a chance four to one."

"And common sense would tell you a flock like Karasuno could never exist. We bucked reason and standards the moment we got serious about this, so how about we _actually_ get this thing going, like you wanted?" Nishinoya knew that not much changed from fifteen minutes ago. While there were indeed significant differences, they were still at a significant disadvantage. And what Ena said about Chikara…. _No, ignore it. She's lying. That's not important. What we have to do is…._

"One chick learns to fly and you let it go to your head. How idiotic. If you two think you can protect all of them at once," she raised her arm, likely a signal to her cast, "then why don't we test-"

" _Run!_ " Before Ena could even finish her order, he blew a large amount of rubble their way, disturbing the settled dust into the air once more. Nishinoya couldn't tell how well that worked; at best he bought them half a minute's head start, and they'd have to use every second to get down to the ground. Kageyama getting thrown out made him realize how dangerous it was for the flightless nestlings to stay so high up- he wouldn't put it past Ena to try the same thing again- so the best course of action is to climb down.

Nishinoya opened the door to the hallway, letting the nestlings file in, and glanced back to Tanaka, who was staying behind to ward off any hawks. "I better see you again!" he shouted. As if in response, Tanaka threw him a key, giving a thumbs up. That was the last Nishinoya saw of him, along with three hawks moving in, before the door shut closed.

He fumbled with the key, nervousness racking his hands, but still got it inserted and turned. Nishinoya left it where it was then backed away. Ryuu definitely wasn't giving them an easy time on the other side of the door. He could hear it all very clearly: Ryuu's battle caws, the breaking of what furniture remained, and a cacophony of hawk shrieks. Ryuu probably needed some help, being essentially one versus eight. He wanted to get back in there and join him, but….

"Nishinoya, was it really a good idea to leave Tanaka by himself?" Kageyama asked.

These guys had to come first. He jumped down the ladder and motioned them to follow. "If you believe in Chikara, then believe in Ryuu. He can take all of them and more, so let's go." At that moment, a loud bang came from the door, startling Yamaguchi standing closest to it. "We have to hurry. Come on! He insisted he stayed behind. Ryuu knows what he's doing."

Four more bangs compelled them to agree and they started climbing the staircase. "Do you remember where the fifth cache point is?"

Yamaguchi answered "Some ways up north, by a large pine tree with a patch of bark ripped off."

"That's where you're running to when we get out of here. Hide there until the sky turns completely blue; if no one comes by then, assume the worst and find the cats in the city. They'll help you."

"What about you, Noya?"

"I'm staying with Ryuu and holding these damned hawks off."

"No way! Since when was this part of the plan?!"

"Shouyou, it's the only way to guarantee your safety! Kageyama!"

"Y-Yes?"

"Can you fly again?"

"Probably, I think. The first time was mostly instinct, but I really think I could pull it off. Plus, I've spent lots of time studying everyone's flight movements. I should be able to recreate it with some effort."

"Then listen closely. Flying is all about the feeling. Overthink it and you'll sink. Just imagine the whole sky opening up, like _swish_ , and wings moving with a _whoosh_. Then, you're shooting through the air like _zip_!"

"How did that make any semblance of sense?" Tsukishima wondered, stuck right between them, forcing him to dodge Nishinoya's very animated gestures.

"I get it! Just like _bam_ , right?"

"Haha, Kageyama still understood."

"Be quiet, Yamaguchi. They're two of a really weird pair."

"Does this mean you want me to fight too?!" Kageyama asked, the anticipation in his voice palpable.

"No, not that. Your wings are still too unused to flying. In the rather likely situation a hawk slips by, I'm counting on you to get airborne and protect everyone. Can you do that?"

" … I-I'll try-No, I'll do it. Just leave it to me!"

" _I_ feel uneasy leaving my protection to a Wolf Prince."

"Is now really the best time to bring that up, jerkass?!

"Hey, don't leave me out!"

"And you shut up, dumbass!"

"We're here!" Nishinoya practically kicked the door down, opening up to the takeoff dock. He went out first to check for any trouble, then allowed for the nestlings to come out. "Remember, the most important thing out there is to protect each other." He paused, looking closely at each of their faces. "One at a time now. Just like you practiced."

Tsukishima dropped first, wings open, gliding to the leaf covered ground without a single flap. The distance from this high up was safe enough for them to get down on their own, and besides that, anyone on the ladder- their usual means of coming to and fro- would be totally exposed. Nishinoya once again scanned for hawks, and gave Shouyou the okay to go.

"Wait Noya, are you really going to stay behind? I don't want that! I don't want to survive if it means sacrificing you and Tanaka. Can't we stay and fight with you?" Shouyou pleaded.

"Look, we seriously can't debate this. Yamaguchi, you go first." He only nodded and jumped, joining Tsukishima with a little less finesse. "We're not sacrificing ourselves. Neither of us plan to die today. You running away is just a fail safe, alright? I want to be _absolutely_ sure you're not in danger. Think of this as me making up for every time I screwed up."

"But-!"

"I still have that promise too, remember? I'm going to teach you how to fly, and we're going to the city together." Nishinoya brought him in for a final hug, feeling the imminence of attack coming closer. "You have to trust me to fulfill that promise. I'm not saying goodbye just yet." The nestling moved away, though reluctant.

"…This time, I really won't forgive you if you break your promise, got it?"

"I got it."

"Hinata, that's enough. You need to jump-" Abruptly, four cries reverberated through the air, cutting their conversation short. Kageyama pushed Shouyou to the edge, saying "Come on, hurry up! They're here!"

The cry's source coasted into view and dived in with frightening speed. Nishinoya was surprised that Ena was among them. "Found you!"

"Move it!" He launched himself at Ena the same moment Shouyou and Kageyama leaped. Nishinoya didn't have to win this battle; he simply had to buy them enough time to get clear, and survive. Although, the one thing him and Tanaka never mentioned was that their plan ended when the nestlings were safe. Though he didn't want to break his promise, Nishinoya knew, and Shouyou probably knew, that their chances weren't great. This ploy… was all he could do.

Their initial slashes matched each blow to blow, until Ena introduced her knee, again, directly to his scars. Electric pain surged out, and he yelped as he had to remind himself not to stop flapping. The guy beside her proceeded with a series of jabs, requiring Nishinoya to drop down if he was to dodge. Once the hawk ceased his attack, Nishinoya looped high above their heads, the perfect vantage point for staging his next attack. Wings folded in, he lunged right at them. None bothered to counterattack, only leaping away, and Nishinoya racked against their hips. A superficial blow in reality, compounded when his close proximity let the other female hawk smash into him. He rolled back some, finding his every side covered by a mercenary.

"Sacrificing yourself is very noble, but don't think that's enough to escape. Yutaka, Fumiya, pursue. Take especial care of the one that can fly."

"Those chicks aren't getting out of my sight," Yutaka stated, flying with his friend around Nishinoya. Looking back, Kageyama and the others had only made a fair distance north. At most, a ten second flight.

"Stay away from them!" Nishinoya made only the slightest movement of flying after Yutaka, and Ena already caught him by the wrist, dragging him in.

"You're not going anywhere. Come on, you owe me a dance!" A tight hold on him, plus the crow's light weight allowed Ena to violently twirl him around in a trivial manner. Several revolutions left her completely consumed in bubbly giggling, and Nishinoya very dizzy. A moment later, she resumed her deadly serious demeanor. "If you really want to get to your precious chicks, I'm willing to lend a hand. In fact, you should go send them your regards right now." And just like that, Ena let go, hurling him across the forest.

Fumiya had already reached Kageyama's group, engaging in the fledgling's first aerial battle. It was commendable how much he was learning on the fly; the way Kageyama moved, banked, and hovered made it impossible to believe he fledged today, if largely unrefined and only for seconds long periods before touching down. That being said, it was still the minimum speed he needed to keep up with Fumiya, a larger bird possessing years more of experience. Fumiya just about had him out of options when he spotted Nishinoya coming at him. His wings extended out to control his treachery, whirling past the two.

Nishinoya decided that out of all the times he crashed that morning, this one won the prize for most painful. Head spinning, he untangled himself out of a bush and started running to the nestlings. Yutaka inflicted deep wounds while he single handedly overwhelmed them all. He hacked into Shouyou's shoulder following the latter's attempt at blindsiding. The helpless view hurt him almost equally, as did seeing Tsukishima crumpled on the ground, totally still, and Yamaguchi sporting a large bump on his forehead.

" _Hey! Merc scum_!" Yutaka turned to his direction, yet this was only a momentary distraction before he returned to massacring his family. There was only one way to truly stop him. " _Don't move a muscle!"_ Nishinoya's eyes flooded with an orange more vivid than the sunrise, more vivid than when he used his Oculus on Rikona. The hawk saw them for just an instance, then stopped where he was.

He rammed into Yutaka, collapsing in a statue like manner, and released the Oculus. Nishinoya's eyes turned bloodshot from the strain of using Corvus at maximum power, a burning sensation erupting out of his temples. During hunts, the highest (and safest) level they could use was sixty percent, for if the prey was unusually stubborn and time ran short. At that strength, it remained a very compelling suggestion. But the Eyes of Corvus's true power only awoke at one hundred percent: the ability to give a dictatorial command. Most couldn't use it without risk, Nishinoya included.

Tsukishima steadily slumped up, holding the side of his head, and Yamaguchi rushed by him. Nishinoya exhaled, thinking _That's good to see._ Covering his eyes, he hobbled to Yutaka's immobilized body. He then blinked a few times, finding his vision fuzzy and blurry. It felt as if someone flashed fifty cameras in front of him. Making out the hawk's face was a challenge, while the background blended together into a giant mesh of colors. Though half blind, that didn't quiet Nishinoya's intense indignation. Yutaka wasn't going to brag about how he decimated his nestlings, and it'd be ideal to take him out while he's vulnerable. His strike missed his intended target, hitting the chest instead. Corvus wrecked his vision more than he expected, but Yutaka wouldn't luck out on the next one. He readied another slash.

"Kageyama!" Shouyou yelled.

"What?!" Nishinoya turned around, in time to see Kageyama kicked onto a tree. After a period of intense combat, his stamina was finally at its limit. He was too tired to continue flapping his wings, and fell harshly close to Nishinoya. Staying in the air proved to be too much. Kageyama was unconscious, blood and bruises decorating his skin. In particular, a long laceration ran across his collarbone.

"H-He's so hurt…! Kageyama, can you hear me?! You were really cool up there, you know, so- so, open your eyes!" Shouyou begged, sitting next to him.

"Dumbass, what do you think you're doing? You don't get to just lie there after going all gung ho. Wake up!" Tsukishima pulled him up and slapped him a few times, supplemented by some violent shaking. Before Nishinoya thought they should be worried, he started to come to. "About time."

"Why do I hear an annoying buzzing?" he groaned, a good assurance he was alright. The nestlings helped Kageyama get on his feet, and suddenly a hawk's shriek rang out. Fumiya was hovering in the air, waiting for her next mid air brawl. His vision had recovered enough for Nishinoya to make out her taunting him specifically.

"Forget about Yutaka and play with me. Or, I could have some fun with those other chicks. He certainly showed me a good time."

"Damn…. Listen, you guys need to make some more distance. Forget about me and get going!" With a strong jump, Nishinoya re-entered into battle. The two flew in tight circles around each other at breakneck speeds, clashing at intersections. It was quarrels like these where Nishinoya's best qualities shone brightest. Speed and maneuverability, not pure strength, were what he excelled at. That alone didn't off put the difficulty of keeping track of Fumiya's location, who, at the farthest, was a faded blob in the horizon. Nishinoya thought fighting with such poor vision would be quite the handicap.

Out of nowhere, Fumiya interlocked their fingers together in the guise of an uppercut. Nishinoya furiously rallied against her hold, the two grappling with one hand and clawing wildly amidst turbulent barreling. He pushed his foot against her, he thrashed to the point Nishinoya had his back to the ground until Fumiya finally let go. His vision refocused, getting sharper and eliminating the blurriness. The one thing he noticed was Fumiya smiling.

Fumiya took a steep turn down, and two hawks streaked upwards through his sides, a cloud of feathers thrown in their wake.

 _W-Where did they come from…? I didn't notice them… at all…._

The pain didn't seem real. The clearness of the sunrise couldn't be possible. Having his wingtips completely cleaved… unimaginable.

On the ground, Nishinoya saw Shouyou running towards him, distraughtness twisting his face. He tried multiple times to jump as high as he could and flap his wings, but they never generated enough uplift, so always he skidded back to the ground. Tears again lined Shouyou's cheeks. A hawk, Yutaka, kept Kageyama preoccupied, preventing him from going after Nishinoya. Corvus wore off.

Their eyes met, and Nishinoya whispered to himself "I'm sorry I broke our promise again… Shouyou…. Run…."

In his last moments in the air, Ena reappeared before him, grimly saying to him "This is what happens to Primordial heathens. You don't deserve your wings." She sealed it with a whirling kick to his head, sending him to an unforgiving descent.

" _Nishinoya!_ "


	4. Our Home

_Don't be alarmed, please! You're not in any danger. This is a safe place. Hinata is here too, so don't worry._

" _You know… it's weird."_

 _It's been a few days since we found you two in that cabin. Your fever was very high. Apparently Hinata did some crazy things to take care of you, so thank him when he comes to see you again._

" _I come back to make things right, then this happens."_

 _Thanks, Kageyama. Tell Hinata to come quick, okay? Drink this, it's a broth Suga made from the carcass we got last night. Oh, Suga is another crow who lives here. Anyway, this'll get your strength back. Um, here, I'll help._

" _It is okay for me to leave it like this? Did I do enough?"_

 _Hey, be careful, you'll spill it! Napkin, napkin…. A-And please, stop moving so much, this soup is really hot!_

" _Of course it's not. There was a second reason I came back…. I wanted to see you again. I needed to say I'm sorry."_

 _Hinata filled us in on what happened. I'm honestly impressed you survived that long on your own. So, um, if you'd like, you could stay with us. We have plenty of room, and Kageyama and Tsukishima love playing with Hinata. I think._

" _One more time would've been nice. If we got to talk, if we sat together at the sentry's post again."_

 _My name…? Oh, I'm sorry, that slipped my mind! It's Azumane Asahi. Nice to meet you._

"Nishinoya!" Someone's voice pealed through the silence. The familiarity of it lulled him into a surreal sense of consciousness. Streaks of color, pale yet somehow bright at the same time, meshed around him…. Cold. That was the only thing he could feel. Nishinoya couldn't tell if he still had a body. Recalling what happened seconds ago was difficult. His head emptied until Nishinoya simply watched the lifeless colors envelope him.

Like a drop of water falling into a pond, that voice reverberated against him, nagging him with every call, as if saying 'wake up'. Nishinoya inwardly scoffed at that, someone telling _him_ to wake up. More often than not, it was him taking the first watch. There was just that one instance though, when he did sleep in. And the person who came to get him… who was it again? Their name felt warm to him, like the morning sun; Nishinoya could never forget that. So unlike how cold the light around him was.

Quiet. Ceased. Stillness.

 _Nishinoya, please, you have to move! I won't… make it in time…!_

Sound didn't reach his ears. No words could pierce his haze. Still, solitary emotion passed by him, one radiating warmth. Within him it spilled nostalgia that seeped into his whole being. It was close too, getting closer.

" _I miss you. I missed you so much. I want to see_ you _."_

Nishinoya felt his fingers twitch, ripples of sensation tearing into the darkness. They moved independently of thought, driven by desire to reunite with it, followed by his wings, fluttering how little it could. An updraft carried Nishinoya up as he extended to their full length, capable of that even featherless. He reached, further and further, not knowing what he wanted to grasp, only feeling he went far too long without it.

A jarring jolt tore Nishinoya from that void, something wrapping around him in a tight grip. Not much later he hit something with a loud thump— _gods_ it was loud— that sent him back up before he started roughly tumbling on the hard surface, skidding to an eventual stop. Whatever held onto him shifted him to his back, their presence disappearing. The absence gave Nishinoya the strength to crack his eyes open, not wanting to let go of it again. Turning to his side, he saw a single pair of boots among the bare feet of the nestlings, straining to make out what he could.

" … _he okay…? How did you…"_

" _No way… You came…"_

" _If you're here then…"_

Their voices echoed, muffled as if far away. Nishinoya dragged his eyes to see their source, fighting against drooping lids.

"I'm sorry."

"Asahi!" Nishinoya sprang forward, gaining full consciousness, arm outstretched towards Asahi. However his body reminded him of the damage he suffered as he buckled down in pain. He blinked for just a moment, but when Nishinoya scrambled onto shaky elbows and looked again, Asahi was no longer there, replaced with another crow.

"Are you the one who hurt my nestlings?" he asked to Yutaka, tone completely flat. Their eyes were wide and betrayed the wrath that silently boiled underneath. Otherwise he was calm. Nishinoya shuddered, knowing well enough what happens when he wears that implacable face. Shouyou quickly brought him back away to witness what would unfold.

"You're… Sugawara, one of the co-founders? So you finally come to the party. I totally thought you'd be a no show."

"Didn't you hear me? I asked you a question. Are you the one who hurt my nestlings?" he again asked, ignoring Yutaka's snide comments. The hawk's demeanor soured some.

Frowning, Yutaka answered "Yeah, I sure did. It was easy, and no fun at that."

"That so." Sugawara processed the response, giving small nods. He started to unlatch the leather straps on his hip.

"So what? You gonna make me say sorry like their mom— Kwahh!" His insulting tongue at last halted as a knife buried itself in his shoulder, and pinned him to the tree behind him. Sugawara's motions of removing, aiming, and throwing the knife occurred so quickly and smoothly, none had noticed what he did until Yutaka was screaming. He struggled to pull it out, only succeeding in amplifying the pain, not helped by it striking his dominant side. "You'd stoop to using weapons too?! You crows really have no shame!"

"Well, you know, despite my shortcomings I must still protect my family. So you learn to make up for it however you can. And I decided to do it with steel. My sincere apologies, though, on not having my prosthetic with me. My aim was off." Sugawara leisurely strolled over, and Yutaka took an instinctive swing at him. Without a thought, Sugawara stabbed through his palm with a pocket knife, deftly drawn, and similarly affixed it in the bark. He then gripped the larger knife, showing a hand missing the first finger and half of the second. "No one gets away with hurting them. Not even high and mighty mercenaries." He punctuated the sentence by messily tearing the blade out and twisting it into Yutaka's stomach. "Well, I suppose you got something right about 'us crows'. I did inherit some of my blood murder's mercilessness." Yutaka meet Sugawara's ghastly gaze while, in a red arc, he moved the knife to Yutaka's forehead. One final moan, and his body went limp.

His display of maternal protection left them all speechless. Sugawara himself though, didn't miss a beat as he retracted his blades and rushed back to them. "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! We found trespassers on the southern border, and we were out for way too long, I never imagined we'd be attacked. This calm spell made us let our guard down." Delicately, Sugawara cupped Yamaguchi's bump in his hand, and grimaced on seeing how battered Kageyama was up close. He lingered the longest on Nishinoya, whom he had seen mere hours ago in a much better state. "And Nishinoya, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you here. You were there to protect them."

Nishinoya shook his head. "No. I couldn't do a thing. Just look at happened. Look at me!" he said, gesturing to his ruined wings. From the tips to just before the wrist it laid completely bare, broken shafts poking out. Even though his feathers were black, the darker blood—still wet— was apparent and continued to drip. Sugawara took the left wing into his hands using the same gentle touch, extending and examining it. It ached fresh, Nishinoya only able to endure.

"Is it bad, Suga?" Shouyou asked, holding Nishinoya's hand like he might disappear again.

"They hit muscle." The atmosphere turned grim. "It's deep all around. For the bones…." He squeezed the end of the tip, and Nishinoya's immediate response was to caw out a pained shriek, feeling too clearly the unnatural shift of bone. "Definitely broken, or dislocated." Next his hand went to the side of Nishinoya's head, drenched in blood. The skin throbbed under his fingers. "This is horrendous. Fair chance of a concussion…. Nishinoya, you might be forced into Slumber again."

Nishinoya didn't need Sugawara to tell him that, the deathly sleep already tugging at the edges of his mind. Broken wings and blunt head trauma likely pushed him over the threshold. Another annoying aspect of being Prime; his body had a survival mechanism that forced him into a sleep akin to hibernation after extreme injury. Sure, it let Nishinoya recover quickly, and it's the only reason he came through after getting shot, but they never knew how long it'd take, owing to a mostly Migrant flock that never dealt with Slumber before.

"This is still the limit of what I can do…. One month—no, ten years and not a single thing's changed. What was all of that time for if, if…! _Shit!_ " He shamefully covered his face. Nishinoya truly was powerless. Ena toyed with him with incredible ease. He actually let himself believe they were making headway in a counterattack. Well, it only took one attack to prove him wrong.

Sugawara finished cleaning his wing, exhaling deeply. And without warning, snapped the phalanges back into place in an audible crack. A shock ran up his shoulder, and Nishinoya had to resist swearing again. "W-What the heck, Suga?!"

"Take a good look around you, Nishinoya. Look at what is here because of what you've done." He opened his arms wide, pointing to Yamaguchi, Kageyama, Shouyou, and Tsukishima, each with a unique face of determination. They were bruised, bloodied, beaten, and so much more, but Nishinoya only took a moment to get what Sugawara was alluding to. More than anything, they were alive. Not traumatized, resolved. Not terrified, more ready than ever to fight for their home. "Karasuno was dealt a losing hand in this invasion; nothing you could've done would change that. But because you didn't accept that defeat was the only option, _we are still in this_. You, and Tanaka, and Ennoshita, you all did a great job holding down the fort." Sugawara offered a wistful smile to him, resting his balled fists on his knees. Softly, he added "Karasuno was supposed to be our dream, and yet, you're the ones defending it. Forgive us."

"It's not just your dream anymore." Kageyama put his hand on Sugawara's, the other on his shoulder. The fledgling is quickly joined by Yamaguchi, on Sugawara's other side. Shouyou followed suit, bringing his hand to theirs, also pulling along Tsukishima, only somewhat reluctant. "We're all a part of this. And it's time to kick these bastards to the curb."

"Yeah, after everything they did, we can't just let them walk away." Shouyou stood, head held high and brimming with anger transformed from fear. "I have had enough of them having their way because of us! No more running away!" His declaration spurred his fellow nestlings up, sharing his sentiment. "Karasuno needs to show them what happens when they mess with a third of the largest Alliance in the region! And to do that, we need every one of us. Right, Noya?" He offered Nishinoya a hand. "I need to prove that you saving me that day wasn't a mistake. And you have a promise to keep."

Nishinoya couldn't believe the Shouyou before him was the same kid that cried for days into his wings after they were abandoned. It seemed like he been gone for much longer than simply a few weeks. When did Shouyou become so strong? Nishinoya laughed a bit, and accepted the gesture. "You never had anything to prove to me. We're family, that's all it is. But you do have a point: those mercs have to go, and I don't have the time to sleep. So let's wrap this up quick!"

Then as if in response to their renewed will, a hawk was hurtled out of the nesting room, barely making the landing. Recognizable caws came soon after, and numerous birds spilled out, filling the skies and congregating on the ground. A figure emerged on the hole's edge, bellowing "It's futile to run. No matter where you go, we will find you and pay the suffering you inflicted on us a thousand fold."

"Empty threats coming from you!" shouted Ena, Nishinoya noticing a new cut on her forehead. "You think the tables have turned? There are only three more of you," the figure and two other crows leaped down, circling around to touch down in front of them, "Flock leader Sawamura!"

What caught his attention first, Ryuu flashing his black eye to them like a war trophy. A collective sigh overcame those that saw him last, and though his attempts at hiding his injuries— the shaking legs, the heaving breaths— were transparent, he too stayed alive. Nishinoya should take a page from his book on keeping promises.

Then, for an eternity that lasted a second, he locked eyes with the one that Ryuu was leaning on: Asahi.

Silence returned to him. Dust might've froze mid air and Nishinoya wouldn't have noticed for all the concentration he poured into simply piecing together what stood before him. In stark contrast to the rest of the crows, Asahi was bereft of dried blood and cuts; totally pristine in appearance. Huge as ever, muscles toned the same way Nishinoya remembered. Those were easy facts to grasp, but… _Asahi_ was right there. A month of rumination had not prepared him to find the words that could express his emotions.

Eternity it may have felt, a second remained a second and Asahi swiftly broke eye contact and faced forward, as if a ghost had spooked him. Nishinoya could only assumed he was conflicted as well. Both refocused on the nonplussed hawk leader.

"You… have quite the nerve to attack our family while we're away. Or maybe arrogance would be a more apt word to describe it," Daichi addressed to Ena, weirdly formal. She gave a hard stare to the crow, analyzing each of the newcomers, a hand on her wound. "If you had not been so persistent, I might have considered letting you go after a sound beating. Karasuno _is_ about overturning years of cruelty, and you _are_ just mindless mercenaries following orders. However, in light of you harming, injuring, and _mutilating_ my family, _no hawk will fly away from here alive_!" Losing the pretenses, he let his true ire burst in a voice that could only belong to an inflamed beast. "You think the stories are harrowing? What you'll experience here will make those pale in comparison."

"That's a nice speech, but they mean nothing coming from one without the strength to back it up," was Ena's response. "The whole lot of you needed to be gutted eventually anyway; coming back only saved us a second battle. So thanks for sparing us the trouble."

"Are you sure you should be holding onto that cockiness? If you haven't been paying attention, you just lost your numbers advantage." A glance to the trees, and Ena found Yutaka slumping lifelessly. She did a very good job of hiding any grief, anger, or surprise she may have had, not flinching in the slightest.

"A single one of my men is forth three of yours."

"Then I guess it's a good thing five of mine took him on."

Daichi's audaciously polite smile made her temper flare, and she shouted "Guys, this is longer just a job! I won't be satisfied until each and every fucking crow is butchered! We are hawks from the northeast star, there is no way we could lose!"

Sugawara joined the front liners, and Ryuu poised himself into a fighting position. Nishinoya steadily got up. He had a headache of a previously unknown caliber and simultaneously lightheaded, neither a qualified reason to sit out on the fight. On top of that, Nishinoya knew with certainty Slumber would claim him entirely when next he rested. So he had to keep moving, and hold out; do what needed to be done.

"Karasuno," he said to those behind him, "it's time to fight!" They rallied together, screaming at the top of their lungs, and the crows and hawks alike propelled themselves at the first person they could fight. As Nishinoya held back around the nestlings, he spotted Asahi with clenched fists before he disappeared into battle. A sign of hesitation?

The advancing hawks afforded him no time to speculate, and three swerved in towards them, the rest taking to the sky. Sugawara smashed into the one flanking farthest to the right, and shot Nishinoya a trusting glance while he dragged the hawk away. Nishinoya nodded, and to the nestlings yelled "I won't tell you to run anymore! If you say you're tired of being protected, then show us you're strong enough to be the protector right here, right now!" An ardent caw resounded, and that was all the reassurance he needed to start fighting.

Samaru, he recognized, charged at Tsukishima, apparently undeterred by their lesser numbers. In flight he was set to collide, claws bared, and for once Tsukishima was eager to reciprocate. Nishinoya, however, adroitly slipped between them and caught Samaru's wrist, then his elbow and flung him away with his own velocity. Not disoriented, Samaru landed on his feet, sliding back some before picking up the assault in earnest. A block from Nishinoya, an opening created for Tsukishima to attack, followed by Samaru's counter. The crows repeatedly shifted forefront and rear positions to maintain this cycle, falling in sync like second nature.

"So you weren't slacking off in combat training after all! How else would you know my favorite moves?" he said, deflecting an up close jab.

Switching in, Tsukishima nicked the bridge of Samaru's nose. "Just because I'd rather not do an exercise ad nauseum doesn't mean I don't have it down."

"Ad libitum, then?"

"Now you're getting it." And if Nishinoya wasn't hallucinating, Tsukishima actually smirked back at him.

"While I applaud the gall it must take to casually banter during battle, please remember that this is, you know, _a battle_ ," Samaru cut in. "Should your focus waver for an instance, I will take the opportunity to bring this to a close!" With a diverging blow, he broke out of the circle and sent Tsukishima flying. Nishinoya had to immediately return to defense as Samaru came after him. It was easy to tell that Samaru aimed for his weak points, marked visibly by bright red; that meant his wings (awkwardly furled, so a suitable target), the side of his abdomen, and his head. Nishinoya pegged him as the analytical type.

Nishinoya glimpsed behind him and goaded "You've got a good head on you, I can tell. But don't let that make you predictable." He furthered his statement by returning a few hits, each simply sidestepped.

"If you want to call cleverness predictable, then so be it. The words of a target are an insect's hum to me."

"Oh I've got cleverness up the wazoo! Kinda doubting if you do now, letting this slip by." Nishinoya spun around, and suddenly appearing on his back and splitting open Samaru's cheek in four slashes was Shouyou; the first hit that broke his composure. They sure as hell weren't going to pass this chance up. Together they brought down a barrage with remarkable speed, in a show of teamwork tempered by years of practice, until Shouyou cleanly gashed Samaru again.

"Enough of this!" A well placed kick sucked the air out of Nishinoya's lungs, which coupled with his established exhaustion lead to him spending the next three seconds simply gathering the strength to stand. And when he did, he found Samaru almost single-mindedly attacking an incredibly evasive Shouyou. "I do not share Ena's enmity towards Primordials, and yet you somehow irritate me to no end!" Samaru began landing consecutive blows on him, accumulating to a punch that turned Shouyou's nose into a bloody mess. "Resisting us was you biggest mistake!"

Shouyou watched, unflinching, as Samaru readied his next strike. High above his head, five talons thinner, sharper than Shouyou's. Countless battles sculpted his body, and there was no doubt they would guide him to the best stance. None of that scared Shouyou. "Oh, really?!"

Blood sprayed onto the ground.

Utterly bewildered, Samaru brought a hand to the deep laceration that endlessly spewed more and more crimson on the nape of his neck. He looked behind him. Tsukishima sealed his handiwork with another slash, the hawk never figuring out how he got so close.

Samaru staggered back, coughing violently as red mucus bubbled out of his mouth and still he moved with fierce perseverance. Hoarse gasps escaped his throat, and heaving steps dragged him to the crows that had pulled out of his radius. A shaky hand reached out to them, just an ounce of strength remaining, then even that dissipated. Eyes rolling up, Samaru collapsed.

The crows stayed unmoving. And after a time of breath holding, all that changed was the size of the dark puddle around Samaru.

"W-We did it, Tsukishima! It actually worked! You got the kill, but it still felt… awesome!" A spring in his step, he practically bounced over to Tsukishima, holding up his hand for a high five. Shouyou held it, and eventually Tsukishima reciprocated by poking his palm.

Nishinoya knew there was no need to get involved once he saw Tsukishima inch his way forward in Samaru's blind spot. He was so wrapped up in attacking Shouyou he never stopped to think where the other was. But what an unexpected display of teamwork, especially those two. Their nestlings were actually capable fighters when they weren't weighted down with guilt and fear, which, to be fair, should be expected since they were all projected to fledge within the season.

With one hawk dealt with, Nishinoya redirected his attention to Kageyama and Yamaguchi's battle. They were encountering more difficulties on the sole basis of their opponent—Nishinoya never overheard her name— not having the same decency as Samaru and flying whenever the opportunity presented itself. Kageyama meet her in the bird's domain, having gotten a basic hold on maneuvering his wings and generally fared better than with Fumiya. That still didn't prevent him from making slip ups, and the grounded Yamaguchi helped him recover.

She was worn down, not only by Kageyama's aggressive front, but the embarrassment of a crow with twenty minutes of flight time going toe to toe with her. While their age gap didn't seem large, it must nonetheless be a hard blow to her ego. Not much more was needed than the opening for the killing strike, and that would be exceedingly difficult if she stayed up.

Shouyou beat him to the punch of coming to their aid, springing off a tree with all he had. To everyone's surprise, he actually went as high as the hawk and tackled her down. Before completely falling, she separated Shouyou from herself and kicked him off, receiving a rake beneath her chin for it. Several heavy beats were needed to get her on balance again, presently hovering close to the ground.

Nishinoya rushed in like a flash, and hacked her eyes out, firmly sending the hawk down as she went into a hysterical fit of screaming and cawing. The window was open.

"Yamaguchi, go!" Tsukishima encouraged, and he lead the ensuing blitz with little hesitation. The crows attacked relentlessly against her, unable to properly counter. Pushed against a corner she tried to take off, not knowing Kageyama had been priming for the perfect shot all this time. He dived down at the exact angle to slam her head into the dirt, grinding it in as he decelerated.

At the sight of her sharply craned neck, they all fell to their knees, panting for dear life. Kageyama was especially drained, gasps turning into broken coughs, unable to even get himself up after drifting to a stop.

The sentry in Nishinoya kicked in right away, evaluating every variable in their current situation. If they stay out of sight, the hawks shouldn't notice that Samaru and that girl had been killed. Even though they suffered previous two losses, it wouldn't be enough to make them consider the possibility of them losing. And with how worn down Kageyama and the nestlings were, another all out fight wouldn't end well.

So, they had weathered through their part in holding out against the invaders. They did exceedingly well, their soon-to-be-fledglings. They deserved to rest. But… did that mean Nishinoya's part had also concluded?

 _It's something someone like you can't understand. I don't have your confidence, I can't just take it all in stride. I'm a coward who runs at the first sign of trouble! I don't deserve your sympathy, so just_ leave me alone!

Nishinoya recalled Asahi's shaking fists. No, he… probably shouldn't. Most likely. Almost certainly. There was nothing he could do anyway. The thought would just haunt him.

To refocus himself, Nishinoya heaved himself up and dragged the unresisting hawk over to Kageyama. "Eat her. You seriously need to get your energy back. Start with some blood, and work up to the meat." He helped Kageyama into a better position, the new fledgling gasping so hard he couldn't give any other response than to take her arm and suckle still flowing blood out of her wrist. "All of you too! For your first real battle, you did great. I'm proud of you. You can leave the battle to the others, so you can rest."

Shouyou managed to smile again, and Yamaguchi gave Tsukishima some wary chuckles. They summoned the strength to pull themselves to the hawk and gorged on the corpse with unseen fervor. None could complain about the more stringy meat, the blood packing a bitter bite, or the gamey flavor. Their ravenous hunger only told them to eat faster.

Not much later, both arms were reduced to bones and they were working on the chest cavity. Nishinoya shared his evaluations with them as they ate, standing to ward off the drowsiness. He himself only gnawed at a hand.

"Then, this is out of our hands now? We just wait?" Tsukishima said. "Well, that's a relief. This whole thing has been a pain in the ass from the very beginning. Can't wait to say good riddance to them."

"I'm not entirely comfortable with waiting," Kageyama stated bluntly. "If I can get up there, I know I can-!"

"Kageyama," Nishinoya stopped. "Those guys are up at an altitude far above the trees. The wind can get intense. Keeping afloat will take energy your body can't make because you're not conditioned to handle that kind of stress. And not only that, you've only fought one-on-one up so far. Up there, there's five of them ready to cut you down, and I do not need to see you almost die twice in the same morning. Getting the hang of flying this fast is amazing, Kageyama, but this time even you have to realize you're outclassed. Or, are you really going to say those sore wings can get you up there?"

He didn't say a word, biting his lip and taking in what Nishinoya had said. Slowly it all sank in. Kageyama nodded, then fully slumped down.

"Phhtt, Kageyama got yelled at!" Shouyou snickered, and Kageyama had no trouble answering to that.

"You don't get to say that when you look like literal bloody hell!" He pointed to the lower half of Shouyou's face, covered in a dark red crust. It didn't take much for them to launch into another bicker session, but Nishinoya thought it was a good way for them to unwind, and good proof they really weren't putting up a brave front. Their arguments could only come from the heart.

He didn't mean to be so harsh, he just wanted to give it to Kageyama straight and simple. With Tsukishima joining in with his own infuriating comments, Nishinoya edged away to where he could get a glimpse of the battle, taking place in a field he could no longer reach. From what he could gather, no one else had been killed yet. Both sides were fairly matched. Daichi and Ryuu were pushing back with tenacity, Ryuu a little less so due to his wounds. And as usual, Sugawara was being avoided like the plague, for his knife spelled quick death if it plunged in. The hawks weren't giving an inch either.

Then there was Asahi. To unknowing eyes, he was overpowering the hawks by leagues, and they were clearly not expecting Karasuno to have been hiding a powerhouse. Anyone that grappled with him was blown away in seconds; blocking made no difference when Asahi could break it down. At this rate, the hawks would be avoiding him as much as the guy with a knife. Well, every hawk except Ena. She went straight for him and kept the attacks coming. Not without injury, of course—deep ones at that, and Nishinoya guessed it was because she saw what he saw. Ena was perceptive and flexible. That was the only way she could've outed him as a Primordial so quickly. She knew an opportunity would show itself if she pushed him. Something like this wouldn't get past her.

Asahi couldn't stop hesitating. It manifested as tiny mistakes here and there, mistakes that were overlooked in the heat of battle. His reaction time was just a little too late, he forgot his surroundings and came close to collision more than once since he tried to keep tabs on how every crow was doing, his strikes lacked impact, he was practically flailing around like a headless chicken, _he always-!_

 _Crack._

Nishinoya looked down to his palm. The uneaten finger he had been holding was broken from how tightly he'd clenched it.

… Damn, he was doing it again. Nishinoya forced himself to exhale, again and again, until his mind wasn't racing with scrutinizing observations about Asahi. It wouldn't help. It never helped. Only seeing the mistakes, that's what lead to him blowing up. But, looking back up, he could noticed something more. Something… he didn't understand. Nishinoya just couldn't name it.

Nishinoya dropped the finger and glanced to the others. Having regained their energy, they retreated further into the forest to wait more securely for the next development, taking that girl with them to continue gorging on. A sound decision; out of sight, out of mind would definitely apply here. They learned quick. Nishinoya gave another glance to the battle before heading off to join Shouyou and the others.

And met Fumiya, an inch away from his face, mid flight.

His reaction could only form after they breached the tree line, Fumiya pulling him along by the neck. This was only the second instance Nishinoya had been so scared by being so high up, and he had to swallow that fear and reignite the dulled senses that allowed Fumiya to get the jump on him so Fumiya wouldn't get an easy kill.

Nishinoya tried to knee her several times, the strength behind each admittedly on the weak side. Her claws were sinking in, and he was running out of air. She completely ignored the hits and slugged him repeatedly with twice the power he could give. "Why don't you. Just. _Die_?! _Persistent! Heathen!_ " Fumiya then directed her rage into lobbing Nishinoya to the empty space. His wings automatically sprang out and began flapping, but of course could not generate sufficient uplift.

"Nishinoya!" Parting the field of hawks in his wake, Sugawara rushed in and aligned himself to Nishinoya could attach to his back. Saving him from another fall, Sugawara fell back to the upper skies. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry 'bout it. Sorry for the trouble." From this angle, Nishinoya could see Asahi's face along with his movements. The frustration was plain to see, as he couldn't command his body as he wanted to. Just what held him back? Why couldn't Asahi crush them like Nishinoya knew he could?

"Nishinoya."

"Oh, I spaced out, didn't I? My bad. You can… let me down now. Thanks for saving me," he said, unintentionally somber.

"I'm going to be frank here. This battle's stagnating," Sugawara suddenly started. "Me and Daichi just came back from an all morning patrol. Tanaka's really beat up, I don't know where Ennoshita is, and Asahi is…. My point is, at the rate we're going, the battle's going to drag out, and our chances of winning will go way down."

"Than what can we do?!"

"We end it right now, while we still have half the tank left. And to do that, we need Asahi to snap out of it. That's where you come in! I was going to come get you anyway."

"Huh? What… what do you think I can do? The last time I tried, we ended up yelling at each other. I just kept on attacking him, accusing him, pushing him-"

"Asahi came back on his own. We had nothing to do with it." He turned his head to Nishinoya. "If you really think what you just said, then you've already changed from that night. You can figure out what Asahi needs to hear. Please, we need you to do this!" Sugawara proceeded to begin descend towards the battle, aiming for Asahi.

Within the whipping currents, Nishinoya disappeared into his heart, Asahi's words ringing loudly. He felt guilty. He felt scared. Nishinoya was sure he knew where Asahi was coming from, for Shouyou's life was in his hands after they were purged. It was up to him to provide and protect, and of course he wasn't always up to par. He failed so many times, but he always kept on moving. That should've been the same for Asahi. But he stopped, he gave up.

Didn't he?

If he did, then he wouldn't have come back. The only reason Asahi would was…!

Nishinoya blinked, and Sugawara seized an opening into the battle sphere. "I can get you close. I can't use my knives like this, so make sure you keep those hawks off me."

"Defense is what I do, just leave it to me!" The two picked up speed and officially re-entered by zooming over the heads of their fellow crows. For a moment, all eyes were on them, a bird with clipped wings riding on the back of another. But the amazement quickly wore off as they each resumed clawing and kicking at each other. "Just a little more!" Nishinoya located Asahi facing off with Ena. His offensive was beginning to crack as Ena relentlessly pushed him back.

"Hang on tight then," Sugawara said while suddenly veered downwards, catching Nishinoya off guard. He re-established his grip after getting his bearings back. The hawks that balked at the blade wielding Sugawara now came after him in earnest. Sugawara sounded incredibly eerie squawks as Nishinoya dealt a few blows to their attackers. "Do it now!"

"Alright!" Nishinoya shouted with Asahi in sight. "Asahi! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The crow met eyes with Nishinoya, indescribable emotions filling inside him once he realized he was face to face with Nishinoya. "You came back on your own, right? Suga and Daichi had nothing to do with it, it was your decision? Come on, answer me!"

"What does that have to do with anything?! It doesn't change what happened!" He spoke. Asahi spoke to Nishinoya for the first time. It was oddly invigorating to hear his voice again, and it only fueled Nishinoya even more.

Sugawara made several tight turns in quick succession to elude a few hawks, giving a great effort to remain in ear shot. "That night's written in stone, I agree. But we can't let it chain us down. 'It was my fault', 'why couldn't I', 'if only', I'm sick of hearing that! If it can't do anything, then we have to do what will, and it starts with wanting to."

Finally forced out of range by Fumiya and a male hawk, Nishinoya switched over to defensive mode. Fumiya immediately began with an aggressive front. Having to keep his balance and parry at the same time meant numerous swipes got through to cut skin. He scrambled for Sugawara's pocket knife, and in one swing pierced her forearm. Fumiya retreated quickly, yet that only allowed for the other hawk to take her place.

"I don't think so!" Ryuu suddenly shoot in and pushed the hawk away. Sugawara fell back into orbit around Asahi.

"Back then, what did we actually do to try to fix this? Nothing! Instead we tried to take blame, and look where we ended up. It might've seemed like the right thing to do then, but really we just wanted to make ourselves feel better by being punished." The more he spoke, the clearer everything became. What he couldn't see, it was the magnitude of the weight Asahi had to bear. He was an idiot for thinking Asahi could magically get better, when he did nothing to help. That ends now. "I'll help you get through this! We all will. But we can't do that if we can't exterminate these invaders! Please, I'm begging you. If Karasuno is still your dream, if we're still your family, if you really have the will to move past that night, then stop hesitating and fight with everything you have!"

" _Ace!"_

"Nishinoya inco-!" He first heard a thud, of Sugawara getting uppercutted from below. The force pushed him upwards and Nishinoya was bucked off. Somehow, the rushing of currents silenced as he and Sugawara fully separated, empty air consuming him. Wings out, he flapped once, spinning around to another hawk.

Nishinoya closed his eyes.

Flesh was torn apart, and a caw cried out, but it wasn't Nishinoya's.

When he looked again, he saw a single sight that cleared away all remaining vestiges of the night, the brightness of dawn suddenly overcoming everything.

Asahi crushed the hawk's throat in a single, decisive move, and as he still continued to draw breath, twisted it far to the side, completely decapitating him. "I can't afford to run away anymore. That _is_ what I decided!" he roared, and Nishinoya didn't have any problems believing it. They joined hands, the two united in conviction at last.

"Then come on. It's time to finish this battle!" Asahi nodded, turning around with him landing on his back.

"H-Haruto!" Fumiya said, watching his corpse drop down. "Damn you, Karasuno!"

Asahi took the initiative and hurled Haruto's head at her. It obviously spooked her, halting mid-advance to avoid it then see it disappear into the trees. The distraction let Asahi get a good strike between her wings, a very sensitive area to hit. Any injury would would drastically impair flight, and she felt it right away, actually opting to pull back. However, wanting to repay her for the wing ripping, Nishinoya sprang off and deepened her gash, while taking a handful of secondary feathers as a souvenir.

As he glided by, Nishinoya jumped back to Asahi, grabbing him by the arms. "Ha, there's the Asahi I remember!"

"Moping around won't get us anywhere, isn't that right? Your words were just the kick I needed." Asahi was about to say more, but Daichi and Ryuu whipping by at top speeds interrupted him.

"Asahi's not the only powerhouse here!" he exclaimed, digging his claws deep into her back. Daichi did similarly in the front and assured her death with a swing to Fumiya's neck. She put up zero resistance before gravity dragged her away.

Only Ena and two of her cronies remained.

They flew with few allies, surrounded on all sides by crows. Their bodies were littered with wounds and trails of crimson, accentuated by their already bad condition. Yet, despite that, they still seemed set on fighting to the end.

"Why don't you just surrender? There's no way you can beat us on your own," Suga said, driving Ena back using consecutive swipes.

"We are contractually obligated to see this job through. And not just that, I'll never forgive myself if I don't personally dismember the whole of Karasuno. No matter how many we lose, no matter how futile it seems, we will persevere!" Her eyes then flooded with that familiar emerald, only more rich, signaling she was unleashing Accipiter at full power. Sugawara, being closest to her, could not turn away fast enough and was caught in her gaze. It worked even faster and more potently than it did on Kageyama, needing not a second for Sugawara to be completely unconscious. Daichi made a direct beeline to him, while giving a short caw that meant 'handle it'.

In his peripherals, Nishinoya saw that the mystical green hadn't subsided; she intended to use it as a weapon, even if her eyes burned out of their sockets. Just one use left him half blind. He certainly didn't want to imagine how going further felt.

The other two did not have the same willingness to risk their eyesight, so Asahi rushed to them first. Ryuu took the other, and Ena had chased Sugawara.

Nishinoya jumped at him, and the hawk prepared to catch him with extended arms, but failed to realize a pivotal fact: his jump was far too early for Nishinoya to get near him. Instead of crashing into him, Nishinoya fell right below the hawk's feet in a fake out. However, he couldn't react as Asahi was on him and knocked right his breath right out of him, taking every drop of willpower he had left not to bend over, hacking and coughing.

Behind her, Nishinoya had gotten a ride on Ryuu, and the two of them were turning around for their own attack. The female hawk they were targeting was distinctly the only one getting frazzled by all of the deaths, completely unsure of what to do. Nishinoya was momentarily sympathetic.

Making several tight turns around her, Nishinoya clawed her again and again. On the fourth go around, Ryuu readied a diving kick and smashed her out of the sky. "We can find her later. Let's go help Daichi. Asahi!" Nishinoya called, and he followed them with the other hawk on his tail feathers.

Ena was practically a wild animal at this point, Accipiter wreaking havoc on her sight. Blood shot whites boldly accented the greens, and showed how desperate she was if she'd use the Oculus in a mid air battle, for every monster knew avoiding eye contact was trivial in a three dimensional plane. Daichi had stayed out of it this entire time, carrying Sugawara in a full blown bridal carry. He tried to coax Sugawara's consciousness back to him with soft whispers, apparently to no avail so far.

"You're only crows! You're only crows! _You're only crows! Who the fuck do you think you are?!_ " Ena wailed out like a mantra. "All of your territory is worthless! Getting an alliance with owls was just a sham. You're still at the bottom of the barrel. You can't escape from the chains of your ancestors!"

"And that is exactly why we fight," Daichi said. "To become more than the crows of the past, we came together and created Karasuno. It represents everything we can and will achieve, and it will _not_ fall to some bigot like you!"

Then to Ena's surprise, Daichi tossed Sugawara high into the air. It was an clear diversion, but she couldn't keep from it grabbing her attention. Daichi closed the distance and slashed along the entire length of her torso. A knife cleanly cleaving through her shoulder came next, delivered by an awakened Sugawara. And to finish it off, Asahi and Nishinoya tore through her wingtips in a perfect replication of what had occurred earlier that morning.

No words were exchanged. Nothing further was necessary in a fight that had already ended long ago. Nishinoya simply kept forward as Ena dropped from the sky.

That last hawk didn't engage them, following Ena. "Let's go," Nishinoya said. Asahi nodded, and started to descend to where Ena had crashed.

They all circled around the fallen hawk on the ground. She had barely been able to soften her landing, but even so she was still bloodied and hurt. Her remaining comrades found her and were panicking.

Daichi naturally stepped up to the front. Meanwhile, Nishinoya was quietly surveying the area they landed in. Not too close from the nest, but not far enough that he couldn't see it. So where were Kageyama and the nestlings? There was no one they knew of who could hurt them…. Nishinoya just had to hope they found a good hiding spot.

"Leader of the Hokuto Mercenaries, Ena. Accept that this battle is over. You three are the only ones left. Rest your claws and submit to judgement," Daichi said, using all of the usual jargon, to a merc no less.

"Ever the upstanding leader. Did you learn it from your allies?" Nishinoya was kind of surprised she could still find the energy to taunt like that. Accipiter at last subsided from her, but the damage had been done, her gaze unfocused. Permanent damage was near guaranteed, and she had less than nothing to show for it.

The two continued to talk, and he could definitely hear them, yet the sounds didn't sort themselves into words. His legs were… heavy too. Sound turned to static, then the forest melded into darkness.

"Whoa, Nishinoya!" He opened his eyes, and he was kneeling on the ground. Asahi propped him up. "Are you okay?" Asahi whispered.

"S-Sorry, Asahi. It's just, it's all catching up now. I'm probably at my limit, but I have to hold out a little longer. There's still so much I have to t-tell you." Nishinoya got up, using Asahi for support.

"Hold out? No, you can't mean…. But we just back! And now you have to…." He bit down on his lip.

"Come on, Asahi, let's not do this again," Nishinoya said, keeping his tone light. "What'll happen will happen. It's okay-" Dread suddenly slammed into him. Strong, terrifying dread that was too distinct for him to mistake as anything else. But as clear as it was, he actually tried to argue with his intuition. He had to be on edge. Corvus messed up his senses, it wasn't working the right way, because if it was actually true then the nightmare hasn't actually ended.

"Shit, everyone get back!" His sudden command was echoed by an unrelenting volley of squawks and wing beats coming from above. The crows jumped back immediately, for _nine_ hawks wearing Hokuto's uniform to coast down to Ena, all just brimming with vigor. Every ounce of relief they had from their supposed victory promptly evaporated, for their new odds presented themselves readily, and they were even worse than the first one. Tentatively, they crowded around each other.

"Stay calm," Daichi said to them. "No unnecessary movements."

"Ena, I'm so glad we found you! Where's everyone else?" a girl with short hair asked.

"Killed. It's just us now," was Ena's curt answer, somehow drawing little more response than their faces dropping. "I want a full report on what happened later. And Takeshi, what the hell are you doing here? Your unit was on standby."

"Please, Ena, we don't have time to explain! We need to get out of here right now." He spoke with urgency. Actually, all of them were pretty tense, and it didn't seem like it was because of the high casualties. Ena, on the other hand, was calmed by their presence, enough to argue and exert her authority on them.

"Daichi, do we run?" Ryuu asked.

"We can't outrun all of them. And we'd have to leave the nestlings behind."

"Then we fight!"

"Are you kidding me?! Nishinoya's halfway into Slumber and the rest of us aren't exactly in tip top shape either!"

"I can put up a fight if I have to, Suga. Now that Asahi can put into gear, we could take out at least two or three, collect the nestlings, and bail."

"D-Don't put such expectations on me!"

"That's enough!" It resounded like a blade through their arguments and silenced all. Daichi and Ena apparently had the same desire to not drag it out, speaking at the same time.

"We are _not_ leaving until the request has been fulfilled."

"And we will not back down."

"The decision's been made then." Ena smiled among the frightened faces of her reinforcements. Only the male hawk who was with her originally shared the excitement, while another was fixated on the tree line. "Too bad, Karasuno. You weren't quite out of the woods after all."

"Are we really doing this?!"

"What other choice is there, Suga?"

"Ha ha-ha… I just knew it. There was no possible way I was wrong. This turn of events just proves it. We are the superior species. Pray to dear Morrighan while you can, little crow. This time you won't get to play your little tricks." Ena raised her arm in signal. Nishinoya could tell she really meant it, and she wouldn't play around like before. She meant to skip the hunt, and lunge for the kill.

Daichi opened his wings wide over his fellow crows, ready to receive the worst of assaults, and they in turn took up a fighting stance. Ena lowered her arm.

Then the wind went mad.

" _Krraaagh!"_ Their necks spontaneously sliced open, gaping holes in their chest appeared out of thin air with no sign of an aggressor. One, two, almost the entirety of Ena's supposed reinforcements fell victim to this invisible force. Nishinoya couldn't see past the cascade of blood drenching the earth, just as dazed as they were, but he could feel another's presence.

"Hey, hey, hey! Yo, Karasuno," a disembodied voice boomed, and Ena was pinned to the ground. A majestic form flickered into view like an edited video, and now an owl with white, black tipped wings had his foot planted on Ena's back. The dismay on her face was absolutely priceless, especially after her arrogance had returned.

"I can't believe it. Bokuto?!"

"At your service, Sawamura. One of your little birdies told us you were in a pinch, so we came over. What kind of ally would we be if we just ignored you at times like this?" Bokuto curled his talons in as Ena was about to squirm away. "Where do you think you're going? The fun's only starting!" With a wave of his hand, the area became saturated with owls, a gold hue— Noctua— disappearing from their eyes.

"Thank goodness, we made it in time! Is anyone hurt?" someone called out, approaching them, and at that point Nishinoya shouldn't have been stunned that it was Chikara with the nestlings in tow.

"Ha, I knew you they didn't get you, Ennoshita! Is this cavalry courtesy of you?" Ryuu said. Karasuno fully reunited at last, and in the rapid turn of events a large slew of questions and remarks came as the last of the hawks were gathered around Ena.

"Someone explain to me what the fuck is going on!" Ena shouted, still pinned to the ground.

"That crow the pursuit team was after, he lead them into owl territory," another said with hesitation tone. "They were so caught up in chasing him they didn't realize until we caught Fukurodani's attention."

"Whoa, that's a pretty ballsy move coming from you. Didn't think you had it in you!" Ryuu grabbed his shoulder and patted him several times.

"Given the situation, there was little else I could do. I was outnumbered, and I was hoping it was just them that came to attack. I knew around now, Fukurodani makes their last morning runs, so I just had to fly fast enough to get help. But I guess I was wrong…. Sorry for leaving you guys by yourself."

"It was a sound decision, Ennoshita. That being said, Ena," Daichi addressed. "I'm going to ask you again: rest your claws and submit to judgement. Or, would you really like to fight to the death?"

She flailed around in Bokuto's grip, made the most agonized caws, but even she could not turn away from what the battle had devolved into. It was just her and three others now. In a drawn out voice, Ena uttered "I-I… The Hokuto Mercenaries… surrender."

In the early hours of the morning, the hawks were defeated. The invasion had finally ended.


End file.
